The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-26
From the Connecticut Good Roads Association, J. M. Emerson, Chair man of Publicity Committee

The Connecticut Highway Appro- priation bill as drafted by Highway Commissioner Bennett passed the Sen ate on the 22nd. inst. by the over whelming majority of 26 to D. The only amendments offered were for the purpose of minor corrections and they were passed. The bill now goes to the House, and the action there taken will determine whether we are to have any new roads during the next two year.
 The bill carries an appropriation of two million dollars for the main trunk line highways of the state, two mil lion dollars for the general trunk line highways other than the main trunk lines, and one million dollars for state and town aid roads. The office expenses of the highway de- partment are taken care of in the general appropriations bill, the amount being $402. .00O.00. The total appropriation made under the two bills, therefore, 1 is $5, ,402. o0o.O0.
 This. bill is commonly known as the Five Million Dollar bill. It is. not the bill which was proposed by the Good Roads association It is the bill submitted by the highway com missioner himself, and that is the that the bill may. not suit the com missioner.
 MORE MONEY OR NO NEW ROADS Highway Commissioner Bennett has stated repeatedly that if his appro- priation is cut down to three mil lion dollars he cannot possibly build 1 a foot of new road during the next two years. It will take that amount of money merely to resurface and re- | build the roads which are now inn proved. This work must be done or l the roads will be absolutely destroyed A parallel case is that of a house when the roof has blown. off. If the | Iroof is not Immediately restored the whole house will go to ruin- | During the last two wears Com missioner Macdonald spent $1, 1,1o1, PIP. .99 | for rebuilding and repairs, and even then did not repair more than half | the roads. He added to the mileage by building new roads. It will be seen, therefore, that the statement | of N4r. Bennett is not theory but is I based on facts and figures shown on the books of the comptroller and of | the treasurer of the state. The state has been building roads for a number of years but up to 1910 practically
 nothing was spent on repairs. We
 are now reaping the benefit of the ne
 gIect The $3,OOO,OO0 must go for re
 building and repairs or we will lose
 everything we have.
 1 The argument used against the Five
 Million Dollar appropriation bill is
 that ssthe state cannot afford it'' Let
 us look at the experience of others.
 In Cuyahoga county, Ohio; ten years ago the rural property outside the 1 limits of any city was in the grand list at $29 900, 900. The county appro- priated $7, ,09O GOO, for permanent pave i mentse and four hundred miles oi brick pavement were built, radiatine
 in every direction through the coun- 1 ty. Today the grand list of the rura lproperty is $101 0O0,OOO. The average :, value of farm land ten years ago was
 s75 per acre Today the average value is $500 The total increase in the
 grand list is SIP, 000,OO0 In his report l on these roads County Commissioner
 W F. Ebrick says: Good roads have
 not cost the county a, cent. Increased | land valuations, which have nearly
 ouadrupIed in decade. raised the | county revenue far beyond the cost 1 of the roads.
 1 SOME PENALTIES SUFFERED.
 In the Senate discussion repeated
 examples were given of wealthy men ] from New York city, Boston and I Providence who had come to this state l looking for country homes, but whe
 would not consider the places offer
 ed, even at gift price, because there | were no roads. These men stood ready to invest a hundred or two
 hundred thousand dollars in coun-
 try home but a country home which
 they could reach only during dry
 weather in the summer did not ap- peal to them. They purchased land | elsewhere.
 This s5, oo0.0oe appropriation received | the unanimous vere of the committee