Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-30
WISCONSIN ENGINEER
Issr ~
I DISCUSSES STATE AID
ssi
Says 1t Is Not "a Gift Of the Gods
Acquired Without the Sweat
of the Brow"
ROADS NEED TWO bitches
State Supervision and State Aid Are
~ Effective Instruments for Obtain
7a ing Better Roads in Any State.
st Writes A. r. Hirst.

- Most OF the states have created
State road departments TO give adj
vice when requested in matters ar
footing road and bridge construction
or have adopted the principle of State
the construction Of highways Some
OF these states have adopted the pol
Icy of building certain main roads at
4 the sole expense OF the state. and have
provided for State maintenance there
after. In ay discussion Of State aid
not only for roads. hu; for any other
purpose. We should not lose sight OF
the basic fact that money provided by
any State to aid or perform any &C
Ltivity is produced almost wholly by
ss.dtrect taxes paid 10y the people Of that
State. State aid is by no means "a
gift of the gc"'s acquired without the
sweat OF the brow" writes A. Il
.consin.
81 I'm the Middle West. NJ least. tho
old system of local control is still
enough in effect to furnish one hig
reason why state after State mas in
adependently determined that some
charge had to he made if roads fitting
modern conditions. instead OF those Of
the dark ages. We're to be obtained.
Road building is not an exact science
yet success in road construction de-
ponds upon the recognition Of certain
faxed principles by the builder. which
.principles must he observed in the
construction and maintenance OF all
types OF roads. whether they be sur
faced or of natural earth. These prin-
ciples are simple, and YET even to-day
probably one-half of those in charge
Z of road construction either do not real
lie them or fail 10 carry them into
effect In Wisconsin. IL we could even
get the local road builders to conccde
universally that road should hav"
two bitches instead ot one. we would
2 feel that he had accomplished real
revolution.
"In addition to this general lack OF
realization OF tho basic principles of
road construction, tho trouble with
systems of local control and local con-
StruCtion and maintenance has every
where been that every picc" Of road
was we'll built or we'll maintained,
there was no guarantee that the next
mile would not be utterly bad and
the usefulness OF tho good piece al
most wholly lost.
another important factor in spread
ing the Statc-ad idea has been the
fact tina; It causes Incorporated cities
and villages TO pay a portion OF tho
cost of rural highways, consequently
reducing The cost to the rural conf
munitics 10 point where th"y feel
encouraged 10 take up high class CON
struction on the most important roads
The result is that these roads are
made capable OF serving adequately
not only the rural population, but also
+ the people Of III" cities and villages
. who are indirectly. II not directly. in
terested in the conditions OF these
principal arteries through which they
!. must draw their rural trade.
The hest evidence that state su-
pervision ana state aid are effective
instruments for obtaining better roads
lies in the fact that no state which
has ever adopted system Of either
advisory or compulsory state super
vision of road work, or Of state aid, or
of exclusive state construction, has
ever afterwards abandoned IT, The
original laws have been changed in
almost every state. there have been
changes in organization and changes
In general scheme But every state
has adhered !" tho basic idea that If
effective Statewide road consiruc-
ton is to lac secured, IL must be
through state aid and supervision on
the more important roads We know
OF no State which has developed its
main lines oC travel to meet modern
requirements without some system Of
State aid or state construction. The
State mos, closely approaching this
condition is lno!ana. hut il is under
stood that even there tho system of
Local ca. bond issSHcs and cons"nnsn, local
construction M: not'hc"n wholly salts
factory ana Thai some other system
will soon bc substituted
The first effect OF State aid has
invariably been TO Increase road con-
struction Of an adequate character
This is due TO two reasons E;-s, mn
der all State aid laws tho cost has
been distributed better than under To-
cal laws Second. all State aid laws
are so arranged that unless n county
proceeds with construction IL sacri
ices money TO Other counties which do
proceed.
The second result Of State ala baa
been better construction and tho
Standardization OF plans throughout
the state, even though d;tf.ren, ,ynes