The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1916-03-09
OVER $4,000 READY
FOR ROAD WORK
AUTOMOBILE FUNDS AVAILABLE
ONLY FOR DRAGGING, GRAVEL
ING AND GROWING
LEVY REQUIRED EACH YEAR IN COUNTY
County Has over $50 Miles Of Road
and Only About 100 Miles Con.
sidered Good Condition

The growing and prosperous city lies
where the most good roads converge,
The rapid development of the farm
and the rapidly increasing use of the
automobile and motor truck calls for a
systematic method of road building
and maintenance. The profit falls to
the f~ar-seeing city which takes active
interest in transportation matters. The
progressive business man who works
hand-in-hand with the farmer to solve
his marketing problems is the business
man who wins. The road holds a most
vital pleace in the question of MAJ ket.
ing.
Great interest is o being manifest
throughout the country in the good
roads movement and to keep step with
other sections, it is the opinion of a
number of Brookings county men, that
some plan should be started now for
better roads in Brookings county.
Bookings county has approximately
$50 miles Of open roads, of this num-
Der only about 100 miles can be con-
sidered good roads. Three hundred
and twenty-five miles only fair roads
and the remainder hardly passable
with all vehicles in good weather.
Seyenty-five per cent of the total mil
age has been graded at various times
but there has been no systematic
method of keeping such grading done
in good condition.
In addition to the levies made by the
various township boards for perma-
nent road work there are funds avail
able under the Motor Vehicle Road
Fund law for browning, dragging and
graveling only, and the County Road
Fund law by levy for road building and
improvement.
The County Road Fund law provides
and says that there should be annual
levies for road purposes. Only one
levy has been made since the la was
passed. In 1914 a levy was made Great
ing a fund of $5,155.09 and is now lay
ing idle and untouched. No levy was
made under this law in 1915.
From May LIST, 1913 to January LIST,
1916, $11,5S8.20 has been collected as
automobile licenses and available for
road improvement. OF this amount
~S6,950.55 has been spent in the county
for road work, and SAITH went to the
of the County Treasurer on February
1st of $4,219.94.
The total of the two funds o avail
able for road work is $9,375.03.
A law was passed in 1915 which reg
ulates the expenditure Of funds ac-
CURED from motor vehicle licenses. The
law states that the funds may be paid
out only for browning, dragging and
graveling of public highways outside
OF cities and towns and is under the
control of the Board of County Com
missioners.
The other law provides for a levy to
be made by the Board of County Com
missioners. Funds thus obtained are
for either permanent road building or
repairs.
Some time ago G. A Gullick, of
Bookings, made a map Of all main
roads leading into Bookings and he
formulated a plan whereby such roads
could be kept in shape with the funds
available from the motor vehicle
licenses. In speaking of the roads
running into Brookings Mr.. Gullick
said that they averaged approximately
from seven to ten miles in length in
each direction, and he stated further
that, "These roads you will observe
are all graded and in shape to be drag
ged. Prairie, or roads that have not
beer graded cannot be dragged, this
we all know. We have been harping
on the question, and spending money
right and left for the past three years
and we all know what has been &C.
complished. Do you know that we
have expended thousands of dollars OF
the automobile license money contrary
to the laws of this state? The law is
plain. and provides that money receiv'
ed from motor vehicle registration
must be expended for dragging and sur
facing Of the roads only. During the
months of November and December
1915. we expended s1.37S.OO in our com
missioner district. a small portion Of
which was for graveling and the bal
ance for permanent grading. perhaps