Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-12-24
ALL HARMONIOUS.
TheRoad Question Discussed
By Governor Haines,
No Row, Only a Difference Of
Opinion in Minor Matters.
Commission Given Free Hand In Dis.
tribution of S2,000,000 Bond.

Governor Haines Tuesday was in
| terviewed by the Journal reporter
and gave out the following:
THE hearing between the Governor
and Council and the State Highway
Commission was concluded in the Ex-
ecutive chamber Tuesday afternoon.
After the adjournment of the
meeting Governor Haines was seen
and asked the result of the meeting,
TO which he replied: Everything is
harmonious. The State Highway Com
mission is working along in conform
ity with the law under which they
were created. The rumors that there
is row in the board have no foun-
dation whatever, beyond the fact that
there are some technical questions
upon which the board have not fully
agreed, but are of minor Importance.
So far as any work has been laid out,
the board is in actual harmony The
question of whether highways are to
be built of gravel or something else
remains for the board and the engi-
neers to determine.
Urges Possible Highway Improvement.
1.-The Governor and Council passed
no orders limiting the duties and au-
thority of the Commission or their
engineers, but urged upon them that
they should effect the largest possible
highway improvement along the three
lines which the law provides for in
every county in the State during the
coming year. viz: First, the building
of State roads, for which alone the
81 ,eo0,o 600 bond issue was provided;
second, the building of State-aid
roads, in which the state contributes
TO the towns in proportion to the
amount of money they raise for that
purpose; third, to provide for the
future care of all highways toward
the building of which the State has
heretofore contributed, and such as
it shall designate and take over, eth
er as State roads or State-aid roads,
and to see that new methods are in
troduced, with the aid of the engi-
neering force in as many towns of
the State as possible, and as early
as possible in the spring of 1914, In
order that campaign of better and
more economical methods of highway
may pO Wynn - 49,
earliest possible date.
Different Systems.
"a great many different systems
| of distribution Of the bond money
were presented and discussed, but 1t
was not definitely decided, either by
the Council or the Commission, that
| it was necessary at present to lay
! down any specific formula for the
! distribution of this money in the sew
eral counties of the state, except that
4 1t should be justly and equitably dis
tributed in every county; and as the
! law provides that only 100000 of the
bond money can re spent in any one
year for the State roads, that the
same amount, SO far as practicable,
and as provided by the statute-which
may be seven miles-be begun and
built in each county during the year
/ 1914. This, in connection with the
State-aid road work, and with the
| federal road work which is to De
carried on from Portland to Bath,
will probably be as much work as
| can be taken care of during the year
with economy and good business
methods.
"The Commission were advised to
aid the towns as far as practicable
/ in the recommending and obtaining OF
new machinery for the better and
more economical construction or hlgh-
] ways.
"The public have no reason to fear
/ that Justice and equity will not be
I done every citizen in every part OF
/ the State, so far as practicable IN
! this work, but the public must re-
member that it takes time to gel
/ started upon such a great undertake
/ ing and that the amount of WORK
/ that can be done in any cne year
will necessarily be very small in
! comma arison with the total road mile
age of the State; but as we improve
orr methods and get the work pet
ter in hand, the amount OF work ac-
complished each year can, be greater
than the previous year
Satisfaction at Work.
"rbe Governor and Council ex,
nressed great satisfaction at the pre-
| lirinary work which has already
heen done by the Commission. ano
which the people of the State as ye'
know but very little about. as it has
bean largely in making of plans fol
tho roads in the different parts of the
state. and the drawing of maps ano
charts designating the location, klno
and quality Of the work. Later or
those will all be brought before the
public so that everybody can under
stand them. At present it is ofhce
work, being done largely by draughts-
men as laid out by the chief engineer
and contracts, which are being Drawn
asking for bids for work to be done
in different parts of the state