The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1906-03-01
The First Annual Report Of Hon
Paul ID. Sargent, State Road
Commissioners

of roads aud streets In the state.
The mileage of village and city streets
is returned as 1853, of country roads
q, 4s9 These two figures do not bal
ance the total mileage. The discrepancy
occurs because eeveral municipalities
have not made classification and their
mileage appears only in the column OF
total miles.
The reports also show that there are
223s miles of gravel roads p miles OF
granite block pavement, % miles OF
macadam streets and Il 99l miles of dirt
roads. This shows that for long time
to come dirt roads will be large factor
in the public roads system, and that the
proper construction and maintenance of
these roads must command attention.
Commissioner Sargent further says;
"Our questions asked to have appro-
priations and expenditures CLASSIFIED AZ
10 roads, bridges and sidewalks. In CIV
ing this Information 343 towns gave only
one amount and stated that no classlh
cation was kept of these several expen'
dilules-thst one general appropriation
was made and one general account was
kept which showed only to whom money
had been paid,
Thirty five of the towns reported
separate appropriations for each oi the
items; 81 towns showed separate sppro-
priatinns for roads and bridges and moth
ing for side walks and 45 reported a
joiut appropriation for roahs and bridges
with separate appropriation for SIDE
walks
Upon the roads of the state, inclnd-
ing bridges and sidewalks. an average
annual expenditure Of Sl,377. 19o Ia ha'
been made for the past five years. De.
Quoting S282 004 10, the average annual
expense on account OF snow leaves 81,
(95, 1911 So as the yearly expense of man
tanning our highways, including bridges
aud sidewalks
"Ibis amount is sufficient TO build
over 200 miles of macadam road per an
mum. If but 25 per cent of this amount
were expended for permanent Improve
ment. the result would be an average OF
80 m lies of macsdam road per anunm 10
this state, and We would then be making
some advancement toward permanent
roads. There is no prospect OF the road
appropriations being less DUNG the
next five years than they were 10 the
last five Is il not well to consider
whether we shonld devote acme portion
of the annual appropriation, tor example
% per cent for doing permanent "ofk1
Ii appropriations for the next five years
shall be equal to those OF the last hVe,
and % per cent of the amount should DO
expended permanently, we should lind
ourselves as a state al the end OF that
period, with $50 miles OF permanently
improved road The increased expendi-
tuIe on account of state roads that may
be expected during the next five years
would probably add another 100 miles
People Must Decide What
toDo for Permanent RoRd-.
1t Is time the people of The state of
Maine should DIT eide "hether they Will
continue to put 81 600 800 per year into
the mud. or whether they will take
some stand which will give them good
start on a system of permanent roads
From the returns received AZ To The
term of office of road commissioner, u
il found that there are 1874 road com
missioners serving their first year, 96
serving their second year, 81 their thru
year, IS their fourth year, one his 10th
year and one his 22d year OF the 474
municipalities that dssess and eXpend
their own road money, no own grave
pits and 243 buy gravel for highway pun
poses The prices vary from cent to
40 cents for double loads several OF
the smaller towns report that they buy
what gravel they use at stated price
for the season. which varies Ia the sew
eral towns from IS TO s25 RetnTht
from 1856 Of the POS towns definitely stat
ing price per load paid Indicate tha'
they pay not over cents single and 10
cents double load for their gravel
One hundred and twenty ak towns
report that they have pIospected foI
gravel, 256 say that they have not, viii e
the remainder make no answer From
267 towns we get reports that they have
pts not opened, 66 towns report that
they have no gravel In the town, rs are
doubtful, while the remainder make no
answer In answer to the question at
" hat is the best surfacing material, 1873
towns report the use of gravel. ami "a
others gravel mixed viii b other materials
This gravel includes all yarietes-ar
beach gravel ON the seacost, stream or
river gravel, inland; pin gravel ana
gravel from horse backs.
"Fifty-three towns report the ute OF
the dirt by the roadside for surtaclng.
OF the other suIfaciDg materials the re-
ports show the following: Twenty -four
towns use gravel and clay, 20 use gravel
and loan, one uses clay with coat of
gravel, gravel or sand over swamp; 10
use crushed rocks.
"As regards miles tnrnpIked per day,
replies vary from ope-twelfth of mile
to four miles, while the methods vary
from the thorough making over of the
road to the mere smoothing up of the
old surfaoe Three hundred and seven
ty three definite replies we're received,
while 81 could not estimate; the average
of the former is S42 OF mile. When
We consider this fRur. the average of
373 estimated averages in connection
with the average cost per day for opera
ton, $40 AZ, which is the average of 420
replies, it would seem that these figures
would mean something.
"To the question of durability OF turn
piking 1856 replies were received. Three
hundred and forty-seyen answers gave
the time in years that turDpiking would
last: this time rdpging from ~ years to
'uu'il fal rains The average OF all re.
plies being four years and eight months,
There are me towns in the state
where the custom prevails OF electng
three ssloners, and some In which
no commissioner is elected and the Sc
lectmen have charge of the roads The
custom. as We understand it In the latter
case, is for the seleotmen to appoint
someone 10 have charge of the road
work.