The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-08-31
The Pafrnl System

AT the recent special session of the
Board of Freeholders, DIR. E. D. Prickitt,
representing the township committee of
this township. urged upon the members
of the Board of Freeholders the import
ance of instituting the patrol system for
the protection of the county roads. DIR.
Prickitt was not the first man to suggest
this idea, it having been put before the
Board some time ago by DIR. Glasgow,
but it was brushed aside.
A personal tour over the roads of New
York last week gave chance to see how
this system works. At intervals of a
few miles wagon would be passed on
which would be flag showing it to be
one of the patrol wagons of the state
Delay in allowing the roads to become
bad as was found on returning to New
Jersey was not possible in New York,
and wherever place was discovered
needing repairs the patrol wagon got to
work at once, and the roads throughout
the section travelled in New York were
fine.
The difficulties in the way of solu-
ton of New Jersey road problem were
emphasized by State Road Commissioner
Edwin A. Stevens, on Tuesday when he
told the members of the Associated
Automobile Clubs of New Jersey, at a
shore dinner and meeting at Pleasure
Bay, that this State has more automo-
biles per mile of road than France,
the United Kingdom, Pennsylvania,
New York, Connecticut or Massachu-
sets.
Colonel Stevens went into the subject
in detail, and offered four propositions
which he thought ought to be embodied
in the legislation of the State: A pro-
vision for adequately planning complete
state and county road systems; CLASH
fication of the roads into state, county
and local roads; provision for adequate
road funds for each road system, and
complete exclusion of politics from road
business.
Colonel Stevens admits that he may
have been responsible for failure to
secure proper consideration from past
legislatures. 81 am poor politician, ("
he said, ''and possibly even poorer as a
publicity man."
The Road Commissioner said, in part:
1--WE have in this State, about 800
miles of road, exclusive of city streets.
| OF this not more than $500 miles can be
considered improved. These figures are
to be taken as approximately correct
There is no data on which the amount
of road should be improved to give 9
satisfactory road system can be correctly
foretold. Assuming, however, that this
total is about 5000 miles and that it car
be improved at an average of aboul
S., 900 mile, we have total expendi
lture, before the completion of our road
system, of about s40.OO0,00O. In thu
light of our present experience, an aver
age cost of 1000 mile is certainly non
too high. This figure also does not al
/. low for the reconstruction or resurfacin
, of many of our older roads.
| 1.-THE work heretofore done, and no.
} being done, in the way Of construction
while possibly not perfect, has give
! good results. The trouble with our roa
, administration has been in our failure
: adequately provide for the repair an
E maintenance Of roads after they ha,
e once been built, and the tremendo,
e traffic which they have developed
! daily making this weakness more a
parent"