Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-10-12
HOW THE STATES AID ROADS.

DOh The AID hOADS. .
Action by the recent Civic Convention at Hio fav
oring modified form of the .'stae aid" system fol
road construction in the islands puts a consider
ably body OF public sentiment in Hawaii in line with
what other American communities are doing
bulletin from the L. s. department Of agricu
ture emphasizes the immense strides which public
road construction has made in the last l. years
and particularly what good use has been made OF
state funds.
Rapid increase fir.total expenditures for roads
and bridges growth of building and maintenance
activities under state supervision and a sharp de-
crease in the proportion Of contributions in the form
Of statute labor brought out by statistics for the
calendar year 1915
The total length of public roads in the United
States outside the limits of incorporated towns and
cities was about 2,452OO0 miles on January l. 1916
OF this, about 271,0OO miles, or lib per cent were
improved with some form of surfacing. The mileage
Of surfaced roads has been Increasing at the rate of
about 10000 miles year, and in 1915 approximate
" onehaf Of this increase was made under the sup
eivision ofsstate highway departments In addi.
tionsthese departments supervised the maintenance
Of nearly $1,000 miles of main and trunk line roads
The increase in expenditures for road and bridge
work in the United States has been from approx
mately $SO0OO,000 per year in 1904 to about $3.50,
0OO.000 in 1915, an increase of more than go per
cent. The expenditure of state funds during this
same period increased from about 1850 900 to more
than $500 900. In addition, more than $4,000,
900 Of local funds Was spent under state supervision
in 1915 bringing the total road and bridge expendi
lures managed BY the states to $S0,514,699 This
amount is greater than the total expenditures for
roads and bridges from all sources in 1904
The growth in Importance of the state highway
departments has been rapid The first of these
agencies was created in 1891 in New Jersey and now
some form Of highway department exists in every
state except Indiana South Carolina and Texas.
Since their inception these departments had expend
ed to January 1916, an aggregate of $685. 350,S25
In state funds Con Han land bridge construction,
maintenance and administration. They had con
structed over 30 900 miles Of roads i'm cooperation
with the states. More than 10000 miles of these
roads were surfaced.
The falling 81 intlle value Of road work perform
ed by statute and convict labor was from $2OOO0,,
600 in 1904 when the total road expenditures were
$S0,OOO,000, to about $15OOO,0OO in 1916 when the
total expenditures had grown to $2S2, 100000. This
was reduction from 25 per cent of the total in the
former year to less than 12 per cent of the total in
1916.
An increase in the use of better and more expen-
sve types of roads also is shown by the recently
piled statistics This development has been due. in
large part to the great increase in automobile traf-
hc. 1t is estimated that there now approximate
~ ? IL million automobiles in use on the roads of
the country, or ] car for every mile of road. This
presentmotor traffic is in excess of traffic of all sorts
~ years ago.
The cash road aud bridge expenditures of the
United States averaged only SIS per mile of rural
roads in 1904. In 1916 this average had grown to
500 per mile. New Jersey led all other states both
in 1904 and in 1915 with $221 and $475 per mile
spectively. Nevada made the least expenditure in
both years $s 72 per me in 1904 and sl7 per mile
in 1916.