Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1916-11-24
Cape May County
and the Egan Law
By REESE P. RISLEY

gentlemen nave stated NAT Iney Will
make every effort to secure remedial
and have so advised the
Stone Harbor Grange which passed the
resolutions invoking their assistance in
this highly important matter.
Senator Stevens Is preparing a bill to
include Cape May county in the routes
from Absecon to Cape May and from
Bridgeton to Cape May to be intro
duced when the Legislature meets, thus
bridging the gaps IN Atlantic and
Cumberland counties which the Egan
good road bill left. Just what plan the
senator has in mind to accomplish this
does not yet appear, but his ex perience
and judgment may be relied upon to
work out a very knotty problem.
A casual consideration of the subject
would lead to the conclusion that relief
for Cape May county can be found only
by a bill providing for another state
election, at which the people of the
state would have to vote on the ques-
tion of issuing additional bonds TO
provide for the Cape May county roads.
In explanation of this, it may be said
that the report on the Egan good road
bill issued by the New Jersey State
Chamber of Commerce says that 'it
must be clearly realized that the mile
age provided for in the Egan good road
bill may not be reduced, nor may the
bond issue be increased without an
other referendum to the people, nor may
money be diverted from other sources
for carrying nj the provisions of the
act. The 81, 900, 900 must handle the
whole problem. This fact is clearly
established by the opinion which the
Attorney General rendered on receiving
the report of the commissioner o fpublic
roads as to the probable cost Of the
work on the thirteen routes"
The Attorney General has stated dis
tinctly that if the Egan Law road
system cannot be built for $1,000, 900,
the Commissioner of Public Roads
would not be justified in using moneys
from the motor vehicle fund for the
purposes of the Egan good road bill.
The roads proposed by Senator
Stevens would be upwards of ninety
miles in length. Their Iesurfacing
with a permanent pavement which the
Egan Law contemplates would cost at
least $4,000 a mile. This makes a
total of 81 ,0S0, 600, which would have
to be provided. Now, even if a bill
could be prepared, setting aside such a
sun from the motor vehicle license
fund for this purpose, the fund itself
would be inadequate, as it amounts to
only about 81, 200, 600 a year. Nor is it
likely that the rest of the state would
permit this fund to be drawn upon for
this purpose, as a balance would have
to be left in the fund for highway
maintenance over and above the
amount needed to provide for the
interest and sinking fund on the
81, 000, 900 of Egan Law bonds.
1t would, therefore, seem necessary
and unavoidable that the 81 100000 or
more needed for the Cape May county
road system and its connections be
obtained in the same that
funds are to be secured under the Egan
Law-namely, by a supplementary
state bond issue to be approved of by a
vote Of the people. as every state bond
issue must be. 1t is not clear what
other funds could be drawn upon for SO
large an appropriation.
If an election is needed to finance
Cape May county's portion of the TX
tended Egan good road system, Cape
May county will need help and a
whole lot of it TO get a majority vote in
the affirmative throughout the state.
Fortunately almost every county In the
state is dissatisfied with the mileage
allotted 1t under the Egan Law. AID
ditional routes are certain to be asked
for. For instance, in Cumberland
county no provision whatsoever is
made for Vineland and Millville under
the Egan Law, while other equally as
important routes in other parts Of the
stale are left unprovided for. Indeed,
it would appear that the Egan Law
was designed only for the purpose of
getting the permanent paving of state
highways started. 1t does not appear
to purport to be more than an entering
wedge.
In the anxiety of other counties to
secure additional mileage lies Cape
May county's hope, if an election is
Therein lies a basis for
trading. On the ground of common
interest it is conceivable that Cape
May county's claim for participation
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