Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-02

we have been doing in the past.
Another system is the State highway
where the State takes over the road,
improves it, and maintains it, wholly
at the States expense, and the towns
have nothing more to do with it. Our
new highway law recognizes both of
these systems. We continue to have
State aid roads, and we now are to
have State roads. and this is what our
people generally don't understand.
They get the State roads constantly
mixed up with the State aid roads, and
1 don't think they appreciate that the
bond issue was created wholly for
State roads. Another thing 1 think
they don't appreciate,-I see newspa-
per articles continually referring to a
tax on the people for State bonds,
whereas the law especially provides
that these bonds are to be paid, both
principal and interest from fees re-
ceived from automobiles. 1t is not in
tended that the property of the State
should ever be taxed one cent to pay
these bonds.
There is another provision of the
statute which 1 think is not we'll un-
derstood, and it is this,-the State aid
roads are to be maintained in the fu-
ture under the direction and control
of the State Highway Commission, at
the joint expense of the State and the
town in which they are located, that
the charge against the town shall not
exceed 80 per cent. of the actual
cost, nor an average of over thirty
dollars per mile. The State is to bear
the rest, but this does not come out of
the bond money, for the same appro-
priations are continuing and are to be
continued in the future as in the past,
to be distributed among the towns for
State aid highways. 100000 was ap-
propriated for the year 1913, and it is
distributed as heretofore for State aid
highways to the towns in proportion to
their valuations.
Another provision of the new law is
mo part of bond issue funds for con-
struction shall be expended on any
highway within the compact portions
of any town, except in towns of less
than $500 inhabitants.
There are a great many other pre-
visions in this act which the people
ought to know, but it would make
say, l wish the people would read
the act, because if they would, they
would see that it's terms and provis-
ions provide most specifically for the
equitable distribution of funds in all
parts of the State, and the bug-a-boo
of spending all the money for maca-
dam roads would Immediately disap-
pear.
| suppose the commission and their
engineers working under them will
provide for such roads as the traffic in
the different parts of the State de-
mands. I should imagine, although
know nothing about it, that 80 per
cent. of new State highways would be
built Of gravel. There will be some
places where gravel cannot be had
and other material will have to be pro-
vided. There wilt be some places
where several roads will undoubtedly
not be strong enough to sustain the
traffic over them. In each case. it will
be question Of good judgment and a
compliance with the statute under
which they are working.
The people must remember that with
over 25,000 miles ef highways in Maine.
if we built 1900 miles of new roads a
year, it would take % years to build
them. If we build 100 miles year Of
improved highways, which is about
what we have been doing in the past,
it would take 259 years to improve
them. Also 100 miles eff improved
highway year, at the lowest proba-
Bile cost for gravel roads, at $4,000 per
mile, means an expenditure of $500, coo
year; that the improvement of 1000
miles year at the same price means
s3,000,0 600, a year. With $1,000 farms in
Maine, everybody must realize, looking
at these figures of great road mileage
in the State, and the great cost of i'm
provement, that it will be a long time
before every farm has such a highway
to 1t as it ought to have. All we can
do under the present law and with the
funds at our command is to commence
and do the best we can, and the coun-
ty unit is the safest one to begin with
for equitable distribution, and the sta
tute provides for this, as above cited.
The State of Michigan has had great
discussion over the question of i'm
proved highways. One faction, led
largely by the Grange organization of
that state, / think, favored state aid
to towns, the same as we have done
in the past, which resulted in little
short pieces of improved highway all
over the state, but no continuous i'm
proved roads. There are popularity
known in that state and elsewhere as
roads which begin nowhere and end
nowhere. This is practically what we
have been doing in Maine In the past,
building half-mile here and a half
mile there. l understand Michigan has
changed her system entirely, and done
away wholly with state aid roads, and
provided for state roads. system
which builds long pieces, under state
management, or popularity known as
roads which begin somewhere and
end somewhere. Now our new statute
is a compromise between these two
theories, or rather the adoption of
both.
The bond money is to provide, as
the statute says, for an 'irter-lock-
ing system of State highways, the
State aid money ito furnish State aid
for important county and town high
waye." The State takes over the State