Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-25
329 Towns Ask For State
Aid In Year 1907.
Annual Report Of Highway
Commissioner Sargent
4 Summary Of the Good Work Ae.
eompllshed Last Year.

Tile year 1891 was red letter year
for State road work In Maine" states
the Hon. Paul D. Sarsen. Of Machias.
State commissioner of highway, which
was flied with the governor and coun-
Gil Monday. ut was the first year In
which claims for State aid exceeded
the States appropriation. Three hun
dred and twenty nine towns have
filed claims, which will probably be
allowed, aggregating in round num-
bers $73.500 while the appropriation to
meet these claims is but $4,000. Sew
eIty-ninc miles OF road have been re-
constructed at g cost of S169, 800. maxi
ing the average cost per mile little
rising $3.50. AS this is $500 per mile
more than the average cost Of the
work done in 1906 and the cost that
averaged 1920 per mile more for the
year previous We feel that our efforts
during the last two years In trying to
raise the standard of State road work
have not been without avail.
The report further says:
Included in this 70 miles of work we
find there were 6.23 miles of road sur
faced with macadam varying in width
from L to 40 feet and in thickness
from five to eight inches, and that the
average cost per mile for all classes of
this work was s5,S2S. The average cost
per square yard was 40 cents.
"Abcu. 60 miles were surfaced with
gravel, a large part Of this work hav-
irg been underdrained with "V'' stone
drain, varying from eight to Il feet
wide. and from ~ inches to "a inches
deep. Gravel was spread not less than
Il feet wide and six inches deep
and in many cases the width
and depth were considerably increased.
About Is miles were underdrained,
graded and surfaced with the material
on hand. no gravel or crushed stone
being available. Madison built 1915
feet Of sand-clay road 16 feet wide. at
a cost of S520.24. Kennebunk built 800
feet Of asphalt macadam 80 feet wide
al a cost Of S96746. In a few towns
the money was expended for bridge
work.
an addition to the above claims,
Bingham. Bucksport and Randolph
constructed State roads but their
claims were disallowed as each town
had received special aid from the Leg
islature' on account of its highways
or bridges.
'There were also 25 towns which
made appropriations for State road
work but which for various reasons
principally or account Of lack of labor
did not do any work. Consequently
1t may be said that there were 957
towns in the State Interested in State
road work in 1907.
During the last two weeks Of May
and the first two weeks Of June. II
county road meetings were held-two
in Aroostook county and one in each
OF the other counties. There was a
fair attendance at these meetings and
a good degree Of interest was mani
Tested by those present In nearly
every meeting the same line Of ques-
lions was presented for discussion as
in the meetings OF the year previous.
This Is largely due to the fact that
many towns follow the practice of
changing road commissioners fire.
Quently, an evil which has been dis
cussed In an earlier report.
AN attempt was made to hold these
meetings at such time and place in
each county as would give opportunity
lol VIC" ltIS Sotilt liISl-NidSS JOO oI EOLu
work under construction. Arrange
ments looking to this end could not
seem to be perfected. At Belfast,
however. Commissioner Bennett had a
section of his State road work under
way and the delegates to the meeting
a journed to the scene of the work
and made an inspection of it. The
work consisted OF building stone I'M
derdrain on clay hill and surfacing
the hlll with gravel. \ section of the
undertakings, work was being done on
the day OF the meeting and it gave all
an opportunity to see how this work
should be done properly. The commits
sioner believes that actual demonstra-
tons Of practical road work would be
q valuable adjunct to each Of these
meetings.
besides the town in which county
meetings were held the following have
been visited officially: Kennebunk, Old