Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-10-11
MAINE HIGHWAYS
COMPARE UNFAvORABLY WITH
THOSE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE.
wrrBRooK NAN SAYS THE oREArBsT
SIN OF KAIND HoAD o0NNIs-
sroNERs Is NEGLIGENCE.

&c. scates, Of Westbrook, in pamph-
LAT nwhy is New Hampshire Doing Better
poad Work Than MaineY" draws some
.omnarisons which do not reflect cred
;.ahiv on the road work in Maine. He
says:
.It would be manifestly unfair to COM
rare our roads with such states a. Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut, which have
much denser population, and commenced
improving their highways by state aid
long before we did; but not SO with New
Hampshire.
aMaine and New Rampahire began their
state aid about the same time. The roads
of both states were in about the same con-
dition and in the settled portions the size
and character of the cities and towns are
verv similar. Both are tourist states, each
contending for the golden shekels OF the
summer visitor. While . comparison is
favorable to New Hampshire, it is not be-
cause she has expended a. state very
much larger amount, but rather becsss 20
there has been more systematic work and
q better supervision.
"statistics show that the average length
OF term Of Office Of road commissioners in
Maine is two years eight months, yet they
spend sl,37,0o0 annually on roads in
Maine. New Hampshire divides road
building into eight divisions, each Of them
under division engineer, who devotes all
OF his time to 1t.
GAS q general rule better roads can be
built by contract ana at less cost than
BY local help. Only few towns have the
necessary tools and machinery to build
roads, especially . macadam road. In
such towns % had the necessary tools, and
where conditions were favorable for local
help, the first method was used; but the
work was placed In charge OF foreman
who had shown proficiency in road build
ing in previous years. Furthermore, this
foreman was not . resident OF the town
where he was working, but had been i'm
ported from some other town.
"New Hampshire has adopted the wise
policy OF building most Of her permanent
roads by contract. These contractors not
only have the necessary machinery, but
are practical road builders, and the state
engineer always has competent men on
the ground to supervise the work. Not
only is such work done better, but at a
very much less expense, for no town, no
matter how favorably situated, can do
permanent road work as economically as
contractors. Again, in towns that did
their own work, foremen who had shown
proficiency in road work in previous years
were put in charge. In fact, in the
Granite State all Of the work, where the
state furnishes Q part Of the money, is
done under the supervision OF competent
and practical men, where in our State
the greater part has little or no super
vision.
Trunk LINES THE SOLUTION.
"Trunk lines are tbs solution. Almost
at the inception OF the movement for
better roads In New Hampshire, the legis-
lature wisely authorised the governor and
council to lay out three trunk lines,
commencing ct the Massachusetts, boun-
dairy, and running north the whole length
OF the state. One known as the East Side
road begins ct Seabrook, . little west of
Portsmouth, runs through Dover, Ossipee,
Rochester, Conway, jackson. Berlin, by
Umbagog lake through Dixville Notch, to
Colebrook, 1876 miles.
"The Merrimac Valley line starts at
Nashua, on the Massachusetts, boundary,