Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-26

Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia,
West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois,
Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Kan
sas, California and washington. These
states have adopted in principle or
practice, or both, the system of central
izing under a state highway depart
ment the conduct of all or part of the
road work of the state, thereby secur-
ing uniformity in method, economy in
administration and skill in supervision,
In most of these states appropriations
have been made from the state treas
ury or the aid of the state convicts has
been given to the road work.
New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connect
icut and Rhode Island lead the country
in the excellence Of the present road
system. Kentucky has a greater num-
her of miles of macadamized roads than
any other state in the Union. Kentucky
was the pioneer state in the work of
road development, it having as early as
1856 established a system of state high
ways. These were constructed under
the direction of a state engineer, who
was paid what was then the very high
salary of $1,000 year. The war dis
turbed conditions in the state and hav-
ing wrecked the treasury, the legts-
lature sold the state highways to turn
pike companies. These corporations, for
considerations OF profit, kept the roads
In excellent repair. Under pressure of
public opinion the turnpike companies
were recently forced to sell their roads
to the several counties, and the coun-
ties are now keeping up the mainte-
nance work.
From the standpoint of the profess
sional road experts, the virginia road
law provides what Is considered the
nearest approach to an ideal system-in
operation in any of the states. State
ROAD hl1il6Inpr in rf,,sa
ohly Two years ago. and since that time
the state has succeeded in constructing
ABOUT seventy miles of first-class road
al cost of about one-fourth as much
as the average cost per mile in other
states. In Virginia the convicts are
worked upon the roads. Government
road experts declare that the use of
convict labor upon the roads is not only
economical, but that 1t is also better for
the health of the unfortunates, and pre-
vents the competition of convict labor
with free labor in the arts. However.
these same experts say that thorough
investigation has convinced them that
the use Of convict labor on the roads is
feasible only in the southern states.
where the vast majority of convicts are
negroes. White convicts in the north
ern states object to the publicity of
working on the roads, and are apt to
become unruly. The negro convict is
rarely oppressed by such a sense of
shame, and usually welcomes the op-
portunity to exchange the interior of a
stuffy prison factory for the outdoor
work upon the highways.
While the reformed road administra-
tions of the several states differ In de-
tail, they all adhere to the principle of
state aid and supervision, which have
been proved by the experience of other
and older countries to be the only basis
of successful road administration. In
many states there aas been a disposi-
tfon to escape the burden of direct tax
alton by appealing to the federal gov
ernment to take over the road admins
tration and construction. Many bills
have been introduced into congress
providing for a federal road system
but thus far all such measures have
been overwhelmed by the objection that
the constitution does not give the CEN
tral government the power to under
take this work. 1t Is maintained by the
friends of such legislation that the gov
ernment may build such roads as post
routes or military roads, but 1t is not
probable that congress will heed such
appeals, at least for many years to
come.
The German empire has one of the
best road systems In existence, Ger
many is federation of states, which
may be roughly compared to our own
Union. In Germany the imperial gov
ernment exercises very little control
over the highways and does not In any
way contribute to the expense of their
/ construction or maintenance. The road
administration Is conducted separately
by each state in the empire. In the
kingdom of SaXony the road system
includes the striking feature of plant
ing rows of fruit trees along the sides
of the road. The revenue Of over $40 900
year yielded by the fruit grown along
the roads goes to the maintenance fund
Logan W. Page, director of the Unit
ed States Office of public roads. in the
department of agriculture, as an able
advocate of good roads extension. He
believes that when the taxpayers learn
that money spent for the construction
and maintenance of good roads will
yield an immediate profitable return in
increased facilities for growing and
marketing produce, then the necessary
taxes will be levied. Mr.. Page, how
ever, never permits an opportunity to
speak on the subject of roads to pass
without emphasizing the fact that the
question of maintenance is of even
greater Importance than the question
Of construction. A road constructed
and permitted at once to begin the nat
ural process of disintegration will never
pay for itself. Maintenance is neces-
sary and maintenance Is expensive. In
England it costs annually $400 a mile
to keep up the roads. In France the
cost of maintenance Is about $3.50, and
in Germany 1t is about 1920 annually a
mile. These figures prove that the
much talked of highways of Europe are
far from being self-maintaining.
TOmorrOw-AmendIng the Constitution.