The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1906-01-13
GOOD ROADS


IN an interview State Highway Engineer W.
w. Crosby says:
Il fully agree with the statement made that
Hartford county has spent too much money for
roads constructed this year, but this is not the
fault OF the State law The county began in
April to improve two miles OF the Earlton-
Havrc de Grace road, on which our estimate OF
the cost was $S,IIOI4. The cost OF the COM
plctcd work is, according to the statement OF
the County Commissioners, SII34OIO. In
doing this work the county purchased about
loco yards OF crushed stone from private
party who quarricd, crushed and hauled the
same nearly four miles for SI.O5 per yard de-
liycred The balance OF the material used, about
5000 yards, was furnished by the county from
quarry operated by the county free from State
supervision, within mile on an average of the
work, and the county's figures show that it cost
them SO,I25.oo or over $500 per yard, for the
same kind OF material that furnished by the
private party. The work the road itself
also cost more than it would have under a
tract but the State is protected from this
Cessve expense since the law limits the pay
ment by the State to the county to one-half the
estimated cost.
On the Forest Hill road, the estimated cost
of the Improvement OF the mile undertaken by
the county was S4,oIo.92. The cost of the work.
from the countys figures, S5335.29. The
county authorities were notified number of
times during the progress of this work that the
management and labor were Inefficient but the
protests OF this office were of no avail and the
same management and labor were continued.
The crushed stone delivered on this road by the
county cost according to their figures about
$500 per yard. In 1904 the county built little
less than mile of road contiguous to this
years work. without State supervision, and the
statement OF the County Commissioners is that
the 1904 work cost 5000, although the detailed
figures have not been sent us.
The improvement OF 212 miles on the Fallston
road was estimated by us to cost $1,000 per
mile. The county has completed one mile at a
cost, as stated by the county authorities, of
$0.422. The crushed stone delivered by the
county, under an average haul from the crusher
of less than one mile is indicated by their fig
ures to have cost nearly $500 per cubic yard
delivered on the road.
All the quarrying, crushing and delivering
OF the crushed stone in Harfard county this
year was under county authority, and free from
state supervision. Inc actual work on the
roads under State supervision has been done
within the estimate, with the exceptions noted.
Does it look as if more authority and less State
supervision were needed in the county to re-
duCe the cost per mile of modern work. How
many other counties show such actual re-
suits in modern road work as will Justify the be-
lief that more satisfactory results will be OBJ
tanned by turning over to them State funds to be
expended on the roads without State supervs-
ion' Should a State law of this kind be drawn
to favor one county even one set OF Counties?
1t will be remembered that the Shoemaker Law
is the product, not of one man or of few DAYS
but of a large committee from all parts of the
State, and of many months hard work Would
it not be wiser to give it more than its actual
seven months trial to date before attempting to
amend it, and after longer trial, could it not
be more than intellgenty changed, if then
deemed necessary?
Notwithstanding the excessive cost Of the ma
terial delivered by the Hartford county authori-
ties for the road improvements in 1905 the re-
suits on the roads have been secured at less
cost to the county than would have been the
without State aid. The county has Sc
sured four miles of modern road at an average
cost to the county of 81 200 per mile. or over
$1,000 per mile less than the statements of the
county authorities show it cost the county to
build independently in 1904. Had the work
been done and the material been furnished by
the county within the estimate, the saving to the
county bv State aid would have been increased
to over $4,000 per mile"