The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1906-07-20
STATE ROAD NUMBER ONE

The only bid received by the State
Highway Bureau for constructing
section of State road No. l, says the
Baltimore Sun, emphasizes the great
costliness of good roads. 1t will take
more than the present available appro-
priation of 100000 to build four and
half miles, the bid for section of that
length being between $50 900 and s4o,-
600 There seems to be but little
competition in getting contracts for
making wagon roads. Under the
Shoemaker law many contracts are let
in the several counties for road making,
but they do not seem to interest any
large number of contractors. There
is vast amount of railroad construc
ton in progress, and perhaps this work
engages the energies Of the men ho
make a business of contracting. Al
the rate charged for making four and
half miles of the Baltimore and
Washington road, under this first pro-
posal, the entire appropriation of $780,
600 made at the last session of the
General Assembly will complete only
about II miles, not much more than
one-third of the distance. This is upon
supposition that no use is to be made
of the labor of the convicts in the
House of Correction, authority for
which is given in the Hill law. 1t
might be possible for the Highways
Bureau to utilize this labor in the
vicinity of the House of Correction in
preparing material to be sold to the
contractor or in grading the roadbed,
proportionate sum to be deducted
from the amount paid to the contrac
tor, the amount of the reduction being
fixed by agreement. Such an arrange,
ment as this might enable the engineer
to construct considerably longer
stretch of road with the appropriation.
This is desirable, if it can be accom-
plished, for more reasons than one. Ii
the statement is made to the next
Legislature that after appropriating
100000 for this road further appro
priation of Sl50,000 or $1S0,000 is
needed to complete it, the unexpected
magnitude Of the sum might deter the
enactment of the bill. 1t might be
good policy to grade longer section
with the money now available and
make the stone track of temporary
width, completing it to the full width
out of the Lext appropriation. In
other words,it might be better to have
road Is miles long with narrow
stone track for the present than one
II miles long with the full width of
stone.
But Engineer Crosby is undoubted-
ly right in undertaking to make this
a frst-class road, whatever the COST
1t would be better for the State not to
undertake it than to make one which
would not be a credit. The road will
pay directly and indirectly: 1t will
add Immediately to the value OF every
acre of land within a mile of it. 1t
should be as smooth and well graded
as park road, and there should be a
row of beautiful shade trees planted on
each side all the way between the two
cities. Such highway would stmn-
late the building OF homes along its
borders, until IN few years it would
be converted into a street over 80
miles long. 1t would invite travel in
ali nds of vehicles and would atrr act
tourists in automobiles into the State.
each one leaving money in his wake.
Road houses would spring up at short
intervals for the entertainment of
travellers, nst as thy have them along
the beautiful roads in Swi 4 .rl4nd
The beneficial results Of State road
No. /, it cannot be douhLcd, will
speedily leaa to the construction by
the LEGISLATURE OF State road No. o
from Baltimore cIty through BaIti-
more, H,rtord and Cell c, u tbs to
the eastern boundary of the S a'e,
forming prrftct highway ter travel
10y vehicles from Philadelphia 10
Washington. 5 Oh a highway would
be Il splendid Investment for Mary land
to make, AMI wou.1 cause h ,xppndi
ture of great sumS ut money IA the
State by tourists, besides invtt ~ he
best G ass O ImtDl , rants.
Wnen President Roosevelt made the
fedora aDDOiuttutntS for Mary ia nd