Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-04-08
STATE To FINANCE
ROAD BETTERMENT
Governor Talks About the Way He
viii Provide Funds For I'm
mediate Improvement
SEVEN MILLIONS A YEAR
Highway Department Takes Up
Repair of the State System
in Real Earnest
SEVEN MILLIONS A YEAR

Governor Brumbaugh said to-day
that he had worked out a plan for
financing the road improvements of
the State and that bills presented to
the House in the last few days were
expected to furnish the funds.
While the bills are going along
we are working to put the highways
into shape" said he. ITO my mind it
is highly important that every high
way in the whole State system should
be placed in good passable condition.
every mile of it. and the money there
for expended with absolute fairness in
every district. 1 have directed Chief
Engineer Uhler to see to this. The
first thing is to get the roads well
drained, then we'll crowned and then
well inspected
The governor said that it was his
idea to devote the money which he
expects the State to get from the an
thracite tax to road maintenance to-
gether with the revenue from auto
mobile licenses. The present automo-
bile act is expected to raise over a
million and the bill presented yester-
day increasing the licenses will come
near doubling the income from that
source. BY these measures some
thing like $1,000, 600 should be raised
for maintenance, while the Jones bill
for a four-mill tax on all bonds at
their source is expected to yield ST.
100000 for the States aid to town
ships for their dirt roads,
Reconstruction Funds
Reconstruction is to be taken care
of by other measures and such APP
propriations as the State can make.
- move in that direction is the Nc
Vicar BILL which appeared to-day, to
place tax of one mill on capitol in
vested in manufacturing and launder-
ff1er 1,sr lA
opinion of the governor. will furnish
ample funds for permanent construc-
tion. He gave it as his idea that
seven millions a year would be all
that the State could handle for road
} work
Regarding the proceeds of the an
thracite tax the governor said that it
has been suggested that the munich
palities receiving the tax should have
authority to eXpend it for their local
highways, for schools or to prevent
caving in Of surface as a result of
mining operations. The latter plan is
the desire of the Scranton officials who
saw the governor yesterday and to-
day The governor indicated that he
thought the state should have two
thirds of the anthracite tax
Repair Work Rushed
Although the maintenance division
o. the State Highway Department has
Deen ldlnpeTeu bN weather cOnultlOnS
in carrying out Governor Brumbaugh S
wish that road work be started this
week, 1000 men are now at work in
various parts of the State putting the
roads in condition.
Snow and ice have prevented any
appreciaole amount of work in the
Warren Erie district and in the Pike
Monroe district. The blizzard which
ushered in the Easter season in the
eastern part of the State has retarded
road work in the Philadelphia sub
urban district, comprising the coun-
ties of Montgomery, Delaware, Ches-
ter and Bucks. These conditions are
being bettered by the prevalent wealth
er and as soon as possible the work
will be pushed forward in these dis
tricts.
Beginning on Monday morning last
large force of men was put to work
all over the State. BY Tuesday morn.
ing $500 men were actually employed
in road scraping, crowning, cleaning
bitches and drains. and dragging the
surfaces of the highways. Ruts and
depressions were filled on stone roads
and the work of maintenance was ex-
pedited as much as possible: the idea
being to cover the greatest possible
mileage in the least possible time tc
the end that the highways of the Com.
monwealth might be put in flrst-class
condition.