Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-28

oping three thoroughfares from the
Massachusetts line northward to the
mountain resorts.
An observation which 1 made while
on an inspection of New Hampshire
highways with the state highway COM
mission last fall may be interesting.
We noted that none of the money ex-
pended by the state of New Hampshire
had been laid out in building a road
across the state east and west lead
ing into Maine, but the money had
been expended with view of keeping
visitors in their state. This looked to
me like good business proposition
for the state OF New Hampshire.
In looking through the reports of the
New Hampshire Board of Agriculture
am extremely interested and gratified
to note the apparent satisfaction which
the people of New Hampshire mani
fest in having these oufof-the-state
| people come to make their summer
homes with them. That Is the kind of
| spirit that we need in Maine to develop
| this particular line of business to its
| highest state.
Agriculture depends to a very large
| degree for its success or failure on i'm
| proved roads. Fearing that what
have already said may be misconstrued
| and be taken as conveying the mean
| ing that / have attempted to herein
set forth the policy of the highway
commission / want to state that this
| brief address is made without the
| knowledge Of the Commission and no
| member of the Commission has been
| consulted with respect to what / have
said. For the Commission I may state,
| however, that such work as they con-
| template doing, which may bring tour
| ist business into the state, will be done
strictly under the provisions of the
| state highway law; one of these pro-
visions to which / want to refer is
| that no part of the bond issue money
can be expended in the thicllly set
| tied portion of any city or town hav-
ing population in excess of $500. This
means, of necessity, that all such ex-
penditures must be made in the out
! lying sections of cities and towns
where the farms are located; conse-
| quently, such farms as are located d.
rectly upon or adjacent to the state
| highways recently laid out by the COM
mission will receive a very large part
of the benefit accruing from the ex-
penditure of the bond issue funds.
Besides those funds the state high
way law provides an annual fund OF
100000 for the improvement Of the
main market roads in cooperation
with the cities and towns. SO far as ]
know Maine is the only state which
has provided through it's state high
way law for the improvement of both
principal thoroughfares and radical
roads and in this respect think the
State is to ne complimented on having
law which is designed to take care
of the interests of all classes of busi-
ness.
]. w. Blunt.
J. w Rlnnt, State Insurance Com
missioner. spoke along economic lines
! "One of the objects of this movement
is to keep the bright and intelligent
! men at home in our native State. We
have sufficient possibilities to keep our
men within the State. We must crys-
talize our possibilities into opportuni-
ties. 1t is a difficult proposition te
educate the people to be alive to theii
own opportunities. There is 100000
worth of property destroyed in tht
State every year. Half of that might
be saved if the people adopted a little
earefulness. There Is great chance
for development of the economic con-
ditions in this State. 1t is case OF
work morning. noon and night along
these lines of development" Nj
Blunt closed his remarks by stating
that the result of the Statewide
movement would be we'll worth the ef-
forts put forth.