The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1909-05-13
Road Work In Maine.
Highway Commissioner Offers Sugges-
tions to Town Officials.

Highway Commissioner Offers Sugges-
tions to Town Officials.
Among other matter which has
been issued from the Office of the
State commissioner of highways and
may be had upon application to the
Office is Bulletin No. 3, which relates
to the duties of selectmen and road
commissioners, which is valuable
pamphlet as 1t contains information
relative to the duties of those officers,
taken from the Revised Statutes and
the Public Laws of 1907 and 1909. 1t
also contains the following sugges-
tions for the guidance of selectmen
and road commissioners:
l. The roads in each town should
be divided into as many districts or
sections as may be necessary in order
that every mile of road may be
placed in the best possible condition
on or before July 10Th of each year.
See Sec. II, Chap. %, r. S. 1908.
2. Competent foremen should be
selected and the organization of
forces for each district or section
should be arranged early in the
spring.
3. Each district or section should
then be placed in charge of fore
man, who should be thoroughly in
structed and who shall be provided
with suitable tools, machinery and
men to properly perform the work on
the highways under his care.
4. As early in the spring as posi-
BILE all waterways, bitches and Gull
verts should be opened, and the
work of perfecting the drainage and
improving the surface of the road
should be commenced.
5. All loose stone, sod and organic
matter should be removed from the
highways while the work is in prog
ress. Under no circumstances should
sod, roots, organic material, worn out
dust or mud be scraped from the
bitches or sides of the road and
placed on its surface.
6. All noXious weeds and brush
growing within the bounds of the
highway should be cut and removed
as provided by section Sc, chapter %,
Revised Statutes, 1903.
7. All loose stone lying within the
beaten track of every highway should
be removed at least every month
from the first day of April to the first
day of December in each year, as
provided by section Sc, chapter %,
Revised Statutes, 1908. Do not for
get that loose rocks are the principal
loose Instructions" referred to in
this statute.
8. The road should be brought to a
proper crown of about one inch fall
to the foot, excepting on steep grades,
where the crown should be more.
The machine work should continue
from the main ditch or gutter on
either side of the center of the road.
Great care should be exercised TO
avoid making secondary bitches or
cutters when using road machine.
Under no circumstances should there
be tendency TO narrow up the road,
thus forming these secondary bitches
or cutters.
8. BY careful reading of the stat
utes it will be seen that it is very
essential for the selectmen and road
commissioners to work in complete
unison and harmony in order to do
proper and efficient work. See chap
ter %, sections sc, 81, SO, 70, II, 70,
70, Revised Statutes, 1903. The stat
utes appear very plain that the road
commissioner under the direction of
the selectmen shall have charge of
the repairs of all highways and
bridges within the towns and shall
have authority to employ the neces-
sary men and teams, and purchase
timber, plank and other material for
thu repair of highways and bridges.
1t will also be noticed that in near
" every instance where the road
commissioner is authorized or di-
rected to do certain things it is
''under the direction of the select,
menu
| am unable to find out that this
phase has ever been defined by the
court.
From practical point of view it
would seem that the selectmen should
act as an advisory board to decide
upon the general policy of highway
improvement to be carried out in
each town. and also say just what
work will be undertaken and ap
proximately how much money will be
allowed for each job. Having settled
these points the execution of the
work should be left to the road COM
missioner.
The applications for State aid are
still coming in at the office of Paul
D Sargent, State commissioner of
highways, and the number which had
been received up to Wednesday
morning was 469, or three more than
had been received up to the same
date last year. There are yet Is
more cities to be heard from, but they
have until June Is in which to make
their applications.
War In Bangor.