The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-06-15


1t is estimated that the highways OF
! the state could be reproduced for about
Sl5O,OO0,000 and that $4O0000O0O has
been expended upon them in money and
labor. They are now practically in the
same condition that they were century
ago
Probably no great public improvement
was ever developed and agreed upon in a
| shorter time than the scheme of highway
| Improvement in this state. The two laws
passed in 1898 were known from the
names of their authors as the Fuller
Plank act and the Higbie- Armstrong act
They were designed to supplement each
other, one applying to the more prosper
Gus communities and the other to the
thinly settled regions of the state. They
provide that when town has adopted
the money system" of caring for its
highways, the state shall pay half the eX-
pense. In towns having an assessed val.
uation of more than 81 100000 the state
cannot make an appropriation in any
one year of more than one tenth of | per
cent of the valuation, but this limitation
does not apply to towns assessed at less
than 100000.
As a condition to receiving state aid
the towns are bound to maintain their
highways in accordance with rules laiG
down by the state engineer.
Immediate advantage was taken of
these laws. Up to the beginning of this
year the counties had petitioned for the
improvement of 1925 miles of highway,
of which 2,l0l miles had been approx,
ed by the state engineer and his plans
accepted by the counties, which had pro-
vided for raising $G,547 800 to pay their
half of the cost. The desire of the
counties for highway improvement had
outstripped the willingness of the state
to appropriate money for its share of the
cost, the total amount expended by the
state in the eight years being 1923 265.
This provided for the Improvement of
7O4 miles of highway, of which 573
miles have been completed and are now
in use. There remains l,397 miles to be
provided for.
Work was proceeding so slowly under
the plan of annual appropriation by the
state that the legislature decided to pro-
able the work to be undertaken on a
comprehensive scale. Accordingly, in
amendment to the constitution was pre-
pared authorizing the creation of a state
debt of S5O,O0O,0OO on plan whereby
S25.O00,0OO will eventually be repaid by
the counties and towns in which roads
are improved on the present basis of 80
and Is per cent. In other words, the
state at large is to contribute 5000.
600, and it will advance another $25, O00,-
900, which is to be refunded eventually
bv the localities. The bonds are to run
for fifty years and the states share will
be cancelled out of the proceeds of the in
direct taxation.
This amendment was submitted to the
people last fall. Only three counties
Orleans, Schuyler and Yates-gave ma
jorities against it, and their adverse
votes amounted to $40, while the ma
jorities in the other counties in favor of
the expenditure reached total of &c.,
sS3.
Having been approved by the people,
it remained for the legislature to pass
laws prescribing plan for the eXpendi-
ture of the money. These were passed
during the closing days of the last SEES
sion. One of them provides for the is
sue of the bonds in two classes, one of
purely state bonds and the other of
bonds issued for the localities and for
their redemption. 1t also appropriates
S5.OO0,OO0 out of the proceeds of the sale
of these bonds to be used this year.
Under the terms of the second bill the
powers of the state engineer are greatly
extended over the construction and main
tenance of roads built with state aid.
Boards of supervisors in each county are
required before the end of the year to
designate the roads in their respective
counties which they think should be inn
proved On the basis of these reports the
state engineer is required to prepare a
map of the main or market roads of the
state so as to provide for San appro-
pirate county and state system" of
roads, with a view to an equitable APP
portionment of the improvements among
the counties.
This map must be submitted to the
next legislature, which may amend it,
but when it has been approved by the
legislature it will constitute the states
permanent plan of highway improve
ment. The character of the new road
is to be determined by the state eng-
neer, according to the nature of the soil
and the availability of material. The
cacadam road is usually built, but gravel,
shale or shell roads may be substituted,