The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1913-02-12
WEDNESDAY, FEB. II. 1918.
MONTANA ROAD LAWS

Improvements in the Montana road
laws that will result in better public
highways will be welcomed by every
resident of the state. Under present
conditions, in most of the counties q
large amount is expended annually
In road work that is Of only temporary
benefit. and 1t is the popular impress.
sion that the community fails to re-
ceive proper value for the expenditures
made.
In round figures, the aggregate an.
nusl expenditures on county roads and
bridges in Montana amount to one
million dollars. A compilation Of the
amounts paid for such work by the
several counties during the year 1911
shows q total Of 1905, 507, and the ex.
pense is constantly increasing without
. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in the ben.
efts derived. After expanding many
millions of dollars for'rosd building,
Montana citizens have very few
stretches of public highway that can
be clsssed as "good"Iroads.
The legislstive:assemblylis consider.
ing proposedlroad laws that are said
to promise better results. One of these
is known as theIMcM ahon state high.
ways bill, which provides for q state
highway commission, s:stste highway
engineer At q salary OF $1,000 per
year, and a:specialEtsx for highway
improvement: Of not!lmore than FIVE
mills and not less than two mills, be-
sides thelusualsroad tax Of 81. The
bill alec makes Supervision for the
licensing of automobiles and motor.
cycles at the following rates: Motor
cycles, IS q year;iautomobiles up TO q
horsepower, $40; from:2O to 30 horse
power, SIS; oversee horsepower, $40.
Opponents of theiMcMshon bill al
lege that its provisions.are not ad apt
ed to conditions in country districts
and that the contemplated benefit,
would be confined to. public highway
in the vicinity ,sof towns and cities
They express a.preferepce for q bill
fathered byuRepresentative Drinkard
OF Fergus'tcounty, switch ia frame,
with . view OF providing better road
for heavyltrafic.in the sparsely settle'
districts.
The Drinkard: bill provides for a ia:
levy for the roadsfund kand a licens
tax uponOautomobiles, and authorize,
the issuanceeof;bonds flor road build
ing purposes y The county commits
sioners are required TO establish roa'
districts; the supervisor of each dis
trict shall be elected by the freeholder
residing within such district, and tn
county surveyOrsis.made county roa
supervisor with authority over roa
matters in each district. The origins
draft of the Drinkard bill provide
that the money derived from ros'
taxes be spportioned among the sew
eral districts saccording to their Of
sessed valuation, Except that ten pc
lent of the amount shallhbe applied t
. fund for bridges and EXCEPTIONAL
heavy road work in any part of tn
county.
The importantIfeature of the Drink
ard bill is the provision which place
all road work 10 the hands of tn
county surveyor, who is given super
visory control over all the distric
road supervisors. The latter are nc
permitted to undertake any road wor,
exceeding az expense of fifty dollars
without consulting the county SUI
veyor.
A new road law will probably b
enacted by the Thirteenth assembly
and according to advices from Helen
several of the provisions of the Drink
ard bill may be included in the meas
ure that will be enacted.