Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-05-20
The New stats Road Lax,.

To anyone who has examined the acts
OF the last legislature It will at once be
apparent that the highway laws Of the
state have been revolutionized.
Probably no man il better able to In
telligently discuss these various acts
than Rep. John Clark Scates OF West
brook, the secretary of the Maine Auto
bile Association and the man who intro
duced the majority Of them and who was
the dominating factor In the passage
OF them all. Few people have any idea
OF the great number Of highway acts
which were passed by the last legisla.
lature, or know what they mean after
reading them. Mr.. Scates has explained
these various measures 80 that they may
be understood by all.
Besides the enactment of the general
| highway bill providing for State High
1000, 900 Of bonds" says Mr.. Scates,
"many other important laws have been
enacted. Among them Is the authorize
ton Of the county commissioners to en-.
ploy prisoners on the highways. This
act provides that the county commits.
sioners may, and shall be compelled to
do so, when three percent of the voters
of any county as determined by the num-
Der of votes cast for the Governor at the
last election, request them to do SO.
The county commissioners are authoriz-
cd to provide all tools and implements,
material and equipment, and such other
help as may be necessary to carry into
effect the provisions Of this act. The
State Highway Department or the mum.
cipal officers of any town may make ap-
plication for the services of the prison
ers to work on the highway. The
prisoners are to wear the ordinary
clothing Of workmen.
Another act provides that the State
Highway Department shall remove all
trees around dangerous turns and at
railroad crossing and have the authority
to cut the same on private property
when necessary. This act also provides
that any municipality, its employees or
contractors, who shall leave any turf in
the road as has ordinarily been done in
many sections of the State shall be de-
barred from receiving any State aid for
roads until such turf has been removed.
This ought to correct some of the worst
abuses of the ordinary road commits
sioner.
"This act also provides that no adver-
Using sign shall be erected within 500
feet of crossings of highways, or where
one road intersects with another, and the
State Highway Commission shall cause
all signs 80 erected to be removed at the
expense OF the persons erecting them.
The State Highway Department shall
also cause all towns to erect proper sign.
boards of uniform appearance and
The act states that the highway depart
ment shall and not may see that such
signs are erected.
"Auother act prohibits abutters from
using the land within the limits Of the
streets and filling up the bitches and
drains. This 10 not 80 common In the
western part of the state but in ARGOS
took county the farmers often plough
clear out to the travelled road and COM
pletely obliterate every sign Of ditch.
Every municipal officer, when complaint
is made, is obliged to prosecute every
offender.
Another law was enacted limiting
the weight of motor trucks or other
vehicles, and the speed at which they
shall travel. No vehicle of niue tons,
including its own weight, Is allowed on
highway without special permit Of the
highway department or the municipal
officers of the town. Motor trucks of
between four and six tons are limited to
fifteen miles an hour, and motor trucks
of between six and nine tons are limited
to ak miles an hour. The size of tires
shall be regulated according to the
weight Of heyehicle.
Another act provides for a neutral
zone with adjacent states. This Is re.
ciprocal. Anyone living within Is miles
| of another state line can 60 into the ad-
joining state within the same distance,
providing that the state grants the same
right. This makes neutral zone OF 10
miles on either side of the line. A
special number plate, oval in shape, Is to
be displayed on the car which has such
permission granted 1t. This right, how
ever, is not granted to motorcycles. The
applicant for such registration must
make oath before a justice of the peace
or notary public that he is within the
Is mile zone.
"Still another act gives garage keep
ers a special lien for supplies, work and
material furnished.
San act which is Of some Importance
to people living in cities and the thickly
settled portions of towns provides that
when majority of the abutters in num-
Der and value, upon any street, shall Pc
tition the municipal officers to improve
such street, two-thirds of the cost may
be assessed on all of the abutting prop.
erty whether they petition or not.
"An act Of great importance Is the one
that provides that all road commission
ers shall be chosen by the selectmen and
not elected by the people. Selectmen
may appoint from one to three road
commissioners and they may engage q
road commissioner for term Of three
years. In this act selectmen are not de-
barred from being commissioners.
| "The legislature, however, passed
another act which apparently is antago-
uistic to this one, but as the act authoriz'
ing the selectmen to appoint road COM
missiOners was the last act enacted and
approved by the Governor, 1t undoubted-
ly will stand, as general practice Of the
court has been that where two acts that
were antagonistic were passed, the one
last approved shall be the one to be con-
sidered the law.
"Tbe legislature authorized COM
mission of three to confer with New Jer-
sey, New York and other eastern states,
in regard to unification of all laws re-
lating to the use of automobiles on the
highways and report to the next legisla-
ture, the idea being to have uniform
laws in all of the eastern states"
Speaking of the rural delivery road
appropriation offered by the National
government and accepted by Maine at
the recent session of the legislature, Mr..
Scates said:
"The legislature appropriated 10000
to obtain $4,000 offered by the National
Government for the improvement Of so
miles OF rural delivery roads used by the
rural delivery. 1t also designated that
this money should be expended upon the
main road beginning at the Westbrook
and Portland line at Riverton and run
ming to Fryeburg over the highway ex-
tending through the city of Westbrook
and the towns of Windham, Raymond,
Naples, Casco, Bridgton and Fryeburg.
This $4,000 with the regular town and
State aid money, ought to place this
road in fair condition.
"The opening up OF every street In
Bar Harbor to automobiles was one OF
the pieces of legislation which attracted
much attention in the legislature. In
addition to this opening up of the town
of Eden, which means the whole Of Mt.
Desert Island, several other restricted
roads In various parts OF the state were
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