The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1913-01-16
SEE NEED OF AMENDMENTS
Commission is Hopeful That the State
Will Meet all Demands of Counties
for the Building of Highways During
tile Coming Season.


that public sentiment has changed
vastly in the last twelve months in
favor of the law and that one or two
1nore years Of successful operation will
remove the last vestige of intelligent
opposition. The defects and omiss.l
ions are made the subject Of proposed
amendments, which are discussed in
detail.
Under the state law there were
built 472 miles Of road in 1912. The
mileage according to kinds of con-
struction was as follows: Concrete, 10
miles; stone, 165; gravel "a; shale, -;
graded, not surfaced, 225.
Of the seventy-one counties, there
were APPLICATIONS for aid from the
county or towns of all but six. Work
was actually done in sixty-three coun-
ties, and $1,250,000 was available for
construction. The deficiency in funds
for 1913 work is $4,000, an amount
required if the applications Of all the
towns are to be met in full. A bill
to meet this need was introduced in
the senate this week by Senator
Browne. For construction intended to
be undertaken in 1912 surveys were
made for 587 miles of road in sixty
one counties.
One of the commission 5 problems
was the breaking in = Of county high
way commissioners and their foremen
Most Of the commissioners lacked ex-
perience. In spite of these discourage
ing conditions, at least 90 per cent of
the work was entirely successful, the
report says; while the other 10 per
cent is at the worst probably better
than was heretofore done in the COM
munity In 1913 there will be not to
exceed fifteen new county highway
commissioners. 1t is predicted the
1913 work will be superior in charac-
ter to that of 1912. From a builders
standpoint the season of 1912 was I'M
favorable due to rains, and labor and
teams were high and scarce. The max
imum price for labor was found in Mil
waukee county, teams costing from
$3.50 to $500 per day. Most Of the
state aid construction was done under
the day labor system, which is found
most economical
Discussing the county system of
highways, the commission says many
counties are prone to lay out more
construction than can be accomplished.
Concentration Of construction on main
lines of travel is urged in recommends
tions for new legislation. The com
mission has for the most part approved
nine-foot roads. Concrete roads. such
as were built in Milwaukee. county
the past year, are mentioned as being
entirely successful. If bituminous
top will serve to do away with the
noise and lack of resiliency, this is be-
lieved to be the ideal pavement for
country roads.
The commission plans to experiment
with mixtures of oil and sand, and ce-
ment and sand, to produce surfacing
which will give reasonable service at a
reasonable cost.
Bridge work in 1912 was planned on
a large scale. Plans were made for
l47 bridges costing $11, 700. In addi-
ton engineering advice in bridge work
was extended to towns, counties and
villages for 129 bridges, costing $197.-
500. The commission altogether nre-
pared plans for 276 bridges. to cost
$3O9, 500. For the 1913 season 2O4
towns in ffty-one counties have voted
te build $50 bridges, estimated to cost
$24l, 900 exceeding the 1912 work bv
ll5 per cent. For 1913 work, over 400
miles Of road surveys were made in
the fall of 1912.
"While the state highway commiss-
ion is responsible for the success of
the work as a WHOLE says the re-
port, 1t cannot make the work a suc-
cess in any county where the county
highway commissioner is inefficient or
dishonest. 1t is absolutely necessary
before state road construction can al
tain its highest success that the peonle
of the state, and more especially the
county boards, should realize that road
construction is science worthy of
the best efforts of the best man avail
able in the county, that the salary
and expenses of a county highway
commissioner are small items in the
total cost of extensive work, and that
his political preferences are unimnort-
ant. There are counties IN the state
which are paying county highway com
missioners as little as 5000 per wear for
the supervision of as high as $40 900
worth of construction, where the diff
terence between results produced hv