Marble Hill press. (Marbel [sic] Hill, Mo.) 1881-1923, 1908-06-11

of the total road mileage Of the state.
Ohio ranks next, with ;;}3 per cent; Wis
consin, II; Kentucky, i6; Michigan, 10;
Illinois, :; Missouri, -; Iowa, ~, and
Mississippi .iN.
There must be d reason for this, and
believe it lies in certain fundamental
misconceptions, chiefly these:
That the country highways are the
farmers roads, and that it is their duty
10 improve and maintain them.
. That the tax necessary to properly
and permanently improve them would
be an Impossible burden.
3. That state aid is merely a scheme
to force upon the farmers the building
OF good roads, instead OF being an cqui-
table plan OF distributing the burden
and tightening their load.
The fact is that the great social and
economic benefits Of good roads are not
fully understood, that the advantages
and economies possible under the i'm
proved condition far outweigh the bur
den of the tax, Measured in dollars and
cents alone.
Some fifteen years ago it was diScOy-
cred in New Jersey that the highways
did not belong to the farmers, but We're
as much public property as the state
house; that every resident of the state,
through the markets, was afft cted for
veal or woe by road conditions; and that
the state from the public treasury ought
to pay a part OF the cost OF road build
ing. This WAS the birth OF state aid in
America.
The good work spread rapidly through
ont the east, state after state falling into
line until aid is obtained in fourteen Of
Pennsylvania, New York, New
Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Massachu-
setts, Rhode Island, Connecticut. Yer
mont, New Hampshire, Maine, Virginia,
Ohio and Michigan-all save two east of
the Alleghenies. In the Vest Michigan
has a unique law, whereby the state pays
a bounty for every mile of good road,
ranging from $3.50 to $1,000, according to
the class of Improvement, irrespective of
the cost. New Jersey began state aid
with an appropriation Of S5O,000, which
soon grew into S2J0,00O per annum.
Pennsylvania began with S15O, 900, and in
a few years was eXpending over 81, ,O00,-
600. New Yorl1's $50 900 has, in a few
years, grown to a constitutional amend
ment providing for a bond issue Of $780,
O0n,O00, available at the rate of 80 900, ;
600 a year. The farmers who at the
start opposed the plan now stand, like
Oliver Twist, pleading for 'morc.'
one Of the best features Of state aid is
that the improvements must be made
, under expert supervision. This insurcs
good results. The attempt to build roads
without such supervision is a waste OF
money. No farmer would undertake to
build d house or barn without the assist
ance of experienced mechanics, yet he
! often thinks he can build roads, when he
/ cannot.
\ few years ago congress established
under the department OF agriculture, a
| public roads Office for the purpose OF
gathering data upon the building and
maintaining of highways, the various
methods of ofconstructlon, the locating and
testing of road material, the bpilding OF
8 object lesson roads and in general foI
+ the promoting OF highway Improvement
This office, under the direction OF Logan
Waller Page, has more than justified
the expectations of its friends, and al
though the appropriations have been
! meager, and ought to be at least doubled
! its influence is being felt throughout the
country and is leading to better things
| believe it will do its part in making the
administration of Secretary Wilson the
most varied and valuable in the history
+ of the government.
To be continued,