The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-12-31

ways: The wisdom of creating a State
road department has been ahundantly
indicated. 1t has been in existence but
a little more than three years, but it has
produced results in supplying the facts of
the situation, stimulating interest edu-
eating the people as to needs and meth
DDS, and building good roads. The first
State roads law was passed in 1901, and
the department was established in 1905.
Before that, while we knew something
was the matter and that all the money
and labor spent on the roads did not
seem to make things much better, there
was a lack of exact knowledge. The
first thing essential to the remedying of
a bad situation is to collect and system
atize the facts-find where we are at, as
the saying goes. This is what the new
department set itself about. 1t was
found that there were rs, 900 miles Of
roads in Maine, to be exact, rs, $50 miles;
that but eight per cent of this great
mileage was improved as to its surface,
and that the remaining 92 per cent or
$4,000 miles was surfaced with the ma
terial over which the roads were built;
that the average annual expenditure on
the roads was 81, 377, 600; that of this
amount IS per cent was raised and ex-
pended in the twenty cities caring for
less than eight per cent of the mileage,
while but IS per cent was raised and eX-
pended in the towns caring for 90 per
cent of the mileage.
That was spreading it out rather thin,
so far at least as the country towns are
concerned; and when we add to it the
poor system or lack of system IN dong
the work, the crnde and wrong ideas of
road building and the frequent changes
of road commissioners, it is not surprls-
ing that poor roads were general. The
new department set about studying the
situation and the needs and organizing a
system. The first State road law was
enacted in 1901, based on the general idea
of giving larger proportion OF financial
aid to the financially weaker towns than
to the stronger The first appropriation
was small only $40, 000-and it limited
the aid to any town to 500 year, but it
was the thin entering wedge. The law
was amended at succeeding sessions of
the Legislature until it was possible for
a town to expend $500 year on State
appropriation by the State increased IN
the meantime to $40, 900. Altogether the
State has appropriated $131, 900 and ap-
4
for aid Out of 578 towns eligible for
State aid 467 have applied for it, and IN
nearly every case the result has been a
piece of approved road. The number of
towns taking advantage of the law has
increased each year, until last year there
was a total of 1923 applications. Al
together, says Mr.. Sargent, roads have
been designated in 466 places, and as
these places average about six miles
each, this means total of 2796 miles OF
main thoroughfare designated as State
roads. Since the passage OF the first
law in 1901, total of 1858, 200 of State
and local money has been expended on
these roads, and about Asa miles Of road
has been reconstructed. The average
cost per mile was $77O in the first year,
and in the past year it was $275O, indi-
eating more thorough construction.
That is to say, in the few years since
the introduction of the new policy a
beginning has been made and about IL
per cent Of the total mileage of the State
highway mileage has been improved
Moreover the plan has been growing IN
favor, as seen in the increasing number
of applications for aid and the increasing
appropriations There can be no doubt
about it; the State of Maine is on the
right road. Portland Press.