The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1916-01-01
ROAD LEGISLATION
FOR 1916 AND 1917

When the General Assembly meets
this time there will naturally be con-
siderable agitation about the appro-
priation of the money necessary to
complete the State Highways. There
are many suggestions and quite diff
ference of opinion as to what should
be done regarding the building of
more highways in the State. 1t is
said on very good authority that an
appropriation of two millions of dol
lars will be sufficient to rebuild every
bridge on the State Highways of con-
crete and complete every missing link.
so as to make complete job of it. If
this is fact there should be no more
money appropriated for road building
under the State system than enough
to complete the original project.
If this plan is adopted the law Gre
ating the State Highways Commission
could be amended so as to reduce the
number of Commissioners to one man.
Under his supervision the bridges and
connecting links could be finished and
nose of maintaining the highways.
This would be great saving to the
State. and all the other roads in the
various counties of the State could be
constructed under the Shoemaker Law
which will only call for a small appro-
priation each year to meet the States
part of the expense of building these
roads.
The people of Maryland would like
to soe the State tax reduced and with
proner care in the expenses of the
Legislature and a pairing down of
appropriations all over the State
enough money could be saved to give
the additional two million to the State
HIGHWAYS Commission and provide for
the maintenance of the roads. This
maintenance of our present highways
is the most important matter which
is now confronting the State. We
have spent nine or ten millions of dol
lars building these fine roads and if
they are not strictly maintained every
year they will soon deteriorate and &c
to pieces, and the investment would
be lost to the people. The real ques-
tion now is to provide for the main
tenance and the coming session of the
Legislature should add enough to the
tax on automobiles to provide the
necessary funds. Even an additional
tax of two dollars on each machine in
the State would provide enough md
with what We al'Gady have.
The maryland Automobile Ch,h bo
:. project on hand to pass q bill which
VIII WI give reciprocal privileges to thn
DlStrict of Columbia, whereby tha |
thousands of automobiles in Washino-
Ioh could use our Maryland roads |
y free in echange for the mi
Vllege OF Maryland automobiles ns-
ing the streets of Washington freo
! ms would be a great mistake and if
passed would take a hundred or NOR
thousand dollars from our mainton
aance account. 1t would be far hettor
i maryland furnished every one of
ler cltlzens District of Columbia !;
ehse for they only cost two dollars for
permanent license. whereby the an
who own cars in Washin~
on, and want to use the Marvland
PADS nave to pay from SIS to S25 for
ne privilege now. and it would be
mistake to make any change in th;S
i!NW' because the Washington automo-
lllSts 40 more damage to MARYLAND
DADS with their heavy machines tbsn
uf own people do. The present law
Iouid u not be amended as recommend,
d by the Automobile Club of Ma !
ma as far as Washington is concern
Marylahd has spent enough on tn, 8
~ IglhaI project of State Highways
nat we want to do now is to tako 4
ire OF the roads We have constructed +,