Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-19

State according to the last valuation
, are in excess of $1.0OO,OO0 we see that
a large majority of the towns get Us
much or more aid than the amount n1
their appropriation. And to the places
having valuation of $1,OO0.0O0 OF
| more. the payment of aid in dollars
amount to more than it did under the
! old law
How has the law worked out? If we
were to judge by results it would seem
that the law has been fairly popular
and fairly successful in, bringing about
an improved class of construction un-
der State supervision. Under the terms
of the law every political sub division
of the State. including unincorporated
townships. is eligible to State aid: the
total number of these sub b-divisions Is
five hundred and seventy eight (57S).
Four hundred and sixty-seven 467)
made application for aid and in all but
about six 60 the joint fund has been
expended and piece of improved road
has been the result. The applications
We're divided as follows:
From nineteen O9) cities: from
three hundred and ninety eight (39S)
towns: from thirty-six (36) organized
plantations and from three CD Boards
of County Commissioners for thirteen
U3) of the unincorporated townships
under their jurisdiction. AS the larg-
est number of cities and towns which
ever applied for State aid. under the
old law. was three hundred and twen-
ty-eight (328), this certainly shows
that the people like the new law. Forty
AF tat1
built under contract according to plans,
profileS and strict specifications pre-
pared by this department. These jobs
have been under the general super
vision of an official of the department
and have been under the direct super
vision or inspection of some local en-
gineer or practical road builder. The
balance of the work has been carried
out according to a prior agreement be-
tween the highway department and the
municipal officers and upon specifica
tions issued by the highway depart
ment. Every one of these jobs has
been inspected from two to six times
during its progress by inspectors en-
ployed by the department and paid
from the general appropriation made
by the State. In all twenty-five (22)
such inspectors have been employed
and their services have been extremely
valuable to the work The inspectors
all report that the work done this year
is fully 100 per cent better than that
accomplished in past years. This
statement is borne out by the one criti
cism that has been quite generally
made by the municipal officers, that we
N-~ al NJ
construction: this criticism. however,
has generally turned into commenda-
ton upon completion of the work. one
direct result of the inspection has been
that about seven 60 towns out of ten
1W have expended on an average at
least 20 per cent. more than their
Joint fund in finishing the work. so it
would be up to specification and pass
inspection
OF the State appropriation Of one
hundred and thirty-one thousand dol
lars ($131 .O0O) about one hundred and
eighteen thousand dollars ($1lS,00D
was apportioned to the cities ana
towns applying for aid About two
thousand five hundred dollars ($250o)
has been expended in inspection work
and about ten thousand dollars ($l0.-
ODO) will be carried over to the credit
of the state road fund for next year.
The cities and towns on their part nave
furnished. in addition to the State ap-
portionments, funds sufficient to bring
the total expenditure on State roads
the present year up to at least two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars
(S25O.0O0) We estimate that approx
mately ninety 900 miles OF road have
been reconstructed.
For seven years prior to 1908 there has
beer, a State road law in operation in TINS
State The original law. passed in 1901,
was extremely modest but it was the thin
edge of the wedge which in these lew
wears has grown to respectable proper
tions The original law carried an apofo-
p,iation of only $4,000 and provided that
the payment of aid to any town should
not exceed 500 per year. This law was
amended at the succeeding sessions OIL
he Legislature until it was possible ior
towns to eXpcnd as much as 5000 ana
draw not to exceed $500 of State aid. The
appropriation by the State in the mean
time increased to $4,000 per year. the
number of towns taking advantage OF the
law increased each year until. as stated
above. q total Of 32S applications we're
received in the year 1867.
Altogether state roads have been des-
igrated ir 466 places. As each ~ theSe
roads averages about six miles III iehStt'
we have a total of 2196 miles OF main
thoroughfare already designated as State
road. Since the passage Of the first law
in 1901 a total expenditure of SSoS,oW mas
been made upon these roads and aito-
eetber about Asa miles of road have been
reconstructed. 1t is interesting to note
hat as the towns have become more fa-
miliar with improved construction the
cost of the roads has steadily increased
showing that the work is being more
carefully and thoroughly done each year.
In 1902 the work averaged to cost s''
ner mile: in 1905, the year the Office was
opened the cost was $162S per mile; the
present year it has averaged to cost S2''c
per mile, These figures may be con-
strued bv some as meaning that the Gre
ation of the State highway department
has only resulted in raising the cost oil
state road construction. We reply TO TINS
| criticism by saying that we are ohly hH
ino tn have each piece of road thorough
w done and that good work always costs
| more than slack half-fnshed work "