The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-05-16
Staff HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT
PLANNING GENERATIONS AHEAD

in the vicinity of Davis, one fork
following due southerly course 10
Gainesville, the other at slant
through the old Chickasaw capital
and crossing Red river north OF Den
ison. With lateral through Bryan
and Choctaw counties, reaching Par
is. Texas. This road will form Okla
homa link in the proposed Meridian
road from Galveston to Winnipeg.
Canada.
Another highway is along the his
tcric Chisholm trail due south from
Caldwell, Kansas, 10 Rinsgold, Tex,
following the present route of the
Rock Island railroad. while third
follows the course OF the Missouri,
Kansas and Texas railroad. which
marks the first cattle trail through
Oklahoma. The east and west high
way extends from the Texas line
in Reckham county TO the Arkan-
saS line east of Muskoeee. finishing
over the old Cherokee trail, made
famous by the writings OF Washing
ton Irving when he was an early
day visitor 10 the Indian country
Another route enters the state from
Kansas north of Bartlesylie, pass
ing through Tulsa, Okmugee, Hughes
and Coal counties, merging with the
! Missouri. Kansas and Texas trail
near Atoka. There are many latteral
roads connecting the main highway
with every section of the state, save
/ the far Panhandle strip, Roger Mills,
! Woodard and Harper counties in the
| northwest. and in the southeast omit
ting the counties of Pushmataha and
, McCurtain.
About $4,000, ,OOG Road Taxes.
People of Oklahoma are paying in
taxes for road and bridge purposes
about $3,000.000 per year, and the
statement made that not to exceed
fifty miles of substantial road has
been built since statehood One aim
of the highway department is to ex-
ercise a supervising control of the
situation and aid county authorities
in seeing that the money is spent
properly for the purposes for which
it is collected But two counties
have flOated bonds for road i'm
provement, Choctaw county voted
100000 and Wagner $4,000 In
three instances haNe county road
districts been formed, those being
in Choctaw, Pontotoc and Johnston.
Township districts have been created
in Usage, Tulsa and Stephens coun-
ties, floating from $4,000 to SOC, 900
in bonds each. Counties may levy
up TO per cent of their variations
and townships UP to per cent
In Indian Territory the roads have
been a problem Townships have
been forced to buy rights of way. II
is best, the state department thinks,
TO float sufficient bonds to construct
the roads and bridges, and then rely
upon tax for maintenance.
Township Road Law.
The township road law is now in
the supreme court upon complaint OF
taxpayer, and until it's constitu-
tionality is established there can be
no concerted action for gen eral road
improvement. At the present the
highway department has no appro
priatiOn, being compelled to exist of
81 tax, levied by the Legislature
against automobiles for its special
support and the Legislature neglected
] to provide penalty if the machine
owner did not pay.
. There is no state registration o.
machines, save in reports showing
the number, made to the state high
way department. When the 81 taN
is paid it comes through the county
clerks. and only in this way may
the number of automobiles in tho
state be estimated.
Activity Of Highway Department
Although working without pay the
highway department officials have
been able to accomplish considerable
They have taken it upon themselve.
to defeat bond issues in several sec
tions, for the reason the counties
or townships had no Trns or speci
fcations iustfying the expenditure
of the money.
w. r. Colt, president of the state
GOOD roads association and chief en-
2ineer of the state highway depart
ment, is devotee of the concrete
bridge idea. and recently issued S