The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1910-02-10
some SYSTEM OF TRUNK HIGHWAYS
SEEMS PROBABLE FOR MAINE
State Has Expended More Than One Million
Dollars For Road Building in Last Nine Years

year, the expenditure In Massachu-
setts having been made almost entire
ly for trunk line work. Some seven
million dollars having been expended
there In the rebuilding Of about $50
miles Of trunk lines.
Coming down now to conditions In
our own State we have had State
road law since 1901. During the nine
years Of the operation of this law
there have been 2,408 individual pieces
of State road built, representing q to-
tai mileage of 528.59. : The total cost
OF this work has been 81, 169, 036.53 and
the State has paid as aid on account
Of this work 3495, 0S7.81.
During the last two years our
method of supervising the work has
been Though inspectors who travel
from town to town during the road
building season, giving advice and in
structi0n as to the meaning OF our
specifications and plans and the best
methods Of carrying out the work.
Several of the reports for 1908 and a
larger percentage of them for 1909
indicate that there Is very strong
sentiment throughout the State for
the State to assume the maintenance
and construction of all the main
trunk lines of travel The commits
sioner himself has found this senti-
ment to exist in a large percentage
of the towns which he has visited
during the last two seasons.
with knowledge of the history
of the state road movement in the
states already referred to and a
knowledge of the sentiment which is
fast crystalizing In this State we feel
warranted In making the prediction
in our recent report that the State of
Maine Is bound to declare for some
system Of trunk lines at no distant
date.
Il have not had opportunity to work
out the details of this scheme.
have sometimes thought, however,
that we should retain our present
general state law and pass new
and independent trunk line law; that
we should also make an annual ap-
preparation to take care Of the gem
eral stste. aid and have q separate
appropriation to take care Of the trunk
line propositions. Objections may be
raised that the trunk lines would be
for the sole use Of automobiles; II
that were the fact, / am not sure
that It would not be q good invest
ment for tho State Of Maine to Inn
prove these thoroughfares, and there
by largely increase our summer re-
sort and tourist business. The one
way to find just how our thorough
fares are used is to take traffic
census. We have made such cen
road recently; that IL, In the earlier
<>f NJ Mt
that season OF the year the horse
drawn traffic was largely In excess of
automobile traffic.
During 1909 the state of Massa-
chusetts took traffic census for one
week during August and for another
week during October. This census
was taken at 237 stations in August
end ct $40 stations In October. The
results of these two censuses showed
that In August there were so per cent
of horse drawn vehicles to AZ per cent
Of motor vehicles while In October an
average of s. per cent horse drawn
vehicles and IS per cent motor vehi-
cles was found. Anyone at all FAM
iliar with conditions in the two states
must recognize Immediately that there
are probably flve automobiles In the
state Of Massachusetts to one In
Maine. There may also be Ave times
az many horses there AZ there are
In Maine In proportion to the popu-
lation, but doubt It From these fig-
ures 1t 10 seen clearly that the roads
in Massachusetts, are not used prin-
cipally by the automobile people and
1t seems TO me the same line OF rea-
soning would apply, only more forci-
bly,, In the State Of Maine.
Il just want to say In closing that
In my judgment the business men
Of the State viii have to put their
shoulders to the wheel to start this
proposition, but once we get the
trunk line system underway, its best
friends will be found In the rural
sections and no power on earth will
be able to, stop the movement"