Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1916-02-11
s. ,opsrooK. VIRGINIA.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY II. 1916.

d DiitCi HS nts TIC oSudlS Souh
mittee on roads today reported
out favorably bills amending tn
state aid road law, in which were
embodied the more important
principles of the Byrd road bill.
The principles contended for by
Senator Byrd, that there should
b. more f1exibility to the presen'
law, permitting the improvement
with state aid of several differer'
types of roads, giving the selr
ii N of the type to the Board .
S ,pervisors, that the highway
c ,tnmissioner should be brought
i ITO more intimate relations will
the local authorities, reduction
j overhead expenses, and that
adequate maintenance should be
provided for all state aid roads,
were embodied in the bills report
ed out by the committee aud
which are now on the Senatt
calendar. By the bills as re
. Drted, several different types Of
roads are made standard, one be
ing a loose stone type without
rolling or water binding. and the
other type being water bound
macadam.
By the Byrd bill, as adopted
b. the committee, the local au-
tllorities will have the sole right
to choose which type to select
for each partic ular road. TYPE
No. l will cost from 500 to S20f
per mile and will permit the ir :
provement of roads in the poore
districts with STATE aid, which Is
not possible under the existins
law. Senator Byrd made an &C
tive fight to permit the improve
ment of roads with loose line
stone without the expense of roll
ing or water binding, and this
type of road is made standard by
the provisions of the bill as re-
ported.
By this bill elasticity is given
to the law to meet local condi-
ii ms, and the Board of Super
visors can choose one of several
types and the improvement of
cheaper types of roads will thus
BE- permitted. which will answer
largely the objections to the
present law.
Under the present law in Val
ley counties only one costly type
of road can be improved with
state aid, the cost averaging
bout from $4,000 to $4,000 per
mile, and all other roads are
robbed of any Improvement.
Under the Byrd bill, as adopt
e by the committee, the state
aid road fund can be distributed
more equitably and the very i'm
portant principle of local controi
is given by allowing the loca
authorities to select, without in.
reference from the State High.
way Commission, the type ofroad
il is desired to use.
Maintenance is provided for by
the distribution of the state auto.
mobile license tax 10 all counties,
and any balance after state aid
roads have been maintained is to
revert to that county's building
fund.
An attempt was made to use
the automobile license tax, solely
for maintenance, and this would
have been very prejudiciai to the
counties of Frederick and Sheu-
audoah due to the small state id
mileage.
BY the amendment advocated
by Senator Byrd, each county
will get an equal distribution of
the automobile license fund, and
If it is not used entirely for MAIN
tenance. the balance will revert
to that county's bui ding fund.
So as to bring the State Highway
Commission in more intimate re-
lation with the localities, by the
amendment advocated by Mr..
Byrd and passed by the commit
tee, the State Highway Commits
sion is authorized to join in tile
employment of some competent
local road builder to have charge
of the construction and mainte-
n lnce of state aid roads, a part
Of the salary being paid by the
State Highway Commission The
local man under the bill as adopt
ed by the committee need not be
a superintendent of roads. but
can be any competent local man
upon whom the local authorities
and the State Highway Commis.
sion can agree.
The amendment, as offered by
Senator Byrd aud adopted by the