The Penn's Grove record., 1915-11-26
HIGHWAY COMMISSION REPORT
Col. Edwards Says Need of Repairs
on Roads Is IMPERATIVE.

Col. Edwards Says Need of Repairs
on Roads Is Imperative.
1t would cost the State upward Of
$53, 300, 900 to put its roads in the
condition they should be, according
to the estimate submitted by Colonel
Edwin A. Stevens, the State Com
missioner of Highways, in his annual
report. The demands of present+day
travel will absolutely have to be met
In some way, the commissioner says,
and he points out two very vital pro-
positions; first, the ~inadequacy of the
present road system, and, second, the
everincreasing necessity of adopting
a policy that will meet the demands
of ~present-day travel. This latter pro-
position would entail a survey of the
roads and a thorough and uniform
system of accounting to show not
only the moneys expended, but the
services rendered. 1t is also the be-
lief of the commissioner that for re-
suits of a permanent kind a permanent
tenure of Office for the road force
would be necessary.
Commissioned Stevens calls atten-
ton to the fact that the problem con-
fronting the State is made acute by
the increasing number of automobiles.
In 1912 there was n machine for
every so persons, n for every As in
1913, one for every 40 in 1914, and
this year n for about every 81. In
other words, there is a machine for
every mile of country road, eliminat-
Snrr %hO afranAC of fhn nitu Tho 0nT0.
missioner says tn re is still room for
further growth and he estimates that
the. motor vehicle output can be in
creased from the present figure of
about $50, 900 to from 100000 to
$500, 900 in a very short space Of
time.
The heavy burdens placed upon To-
cal authorities are referred to by
Colonel Stevens, who shows that the
increase m receipts from motor
vehicles has been in no wise proper
tionate to the increase in demand for
assistance from the various counties.
Five years ago from one-third to one
half the amount needed to keep the
main lines of traffic in repair could
be met out of the motor vehicle fund.
This year, despite an Unexpectedly
large increase in receipts, it has been
impossible to provide more than about
2 per cent. of the money that should
have been spent for repairs.
at is easy to sea-" states Colonel
Stevens, that the greater the growth
of the motor vehicle traffic and the
larger the receipts therefrom the
greater will be TIE demand upon the
counties for repair work ard the
lesser the proportional part thereof
which car be contributed from the
motor vehicle fund. The situation
calls for foresight and careful bust
ness management as well as for a
policy which shall be consistently
followed.
I'VE are ill prepared to meet the
needs OF the situation. We have no
exact knowledge of the travel on u
roads, their mileage, the cost of re-
pair o of the portion thereof that
has been improved. This very neces-
sary information cannot be systema-
tically gathered under our legislation.
What little has been done in this way
has been incidental to other work, and
is too spasmodic in character to fur
nish any basis for design. All we know
with certainty is that 1888 miles have
been improved with State aid. Our
total road mileage, exclusive of
streets, is probably about 10000"