Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-14

only upon those portions OF the Toaa-
way that shall at least equal in life the
maturity Of the bonds. Ordinarily in
motoring or driving over the road, the
individual thinks only of the surface,
and as to whether it is smooth or
rough; and the criticism of roads usu-
ally is because of the condition of the
wearing surface, which in reality rep
resents but a minor part of the total
expenditure. A substantial percent
age of the money has gone into things
below the surface. which are in large
measure permanent Improvements.
| Classification Of Expenditures.
| Road expenditures, therefore, are
now roughly divided into the following
classifications:
| First. Permanent improvements,
which include the cost of making
heavy cuts and fills, the placing OF
| stone base the drainage system,
change Of alignment, change of loca-
| ton Including purchase Of required
land), widening, concrete or masonry
work in connection with substantial
| culverts and bridges, etc.
Second. Temporary or short-lived
improvements, like the wearing sur
face, whether of gravel, broken stone,
biturninous material or concrete.
Third. The maintenance of high
ways after construction and surfacing
, are once finished, which includes all
such expenditures as are needed to
| keep the road up to it's original con-
dition.
Fourth. The cost Of administration.
1T is now coming to be a generally
accepted principle that the first OF the
| classifications noted above, that is to
say, the enduring features" of a road,
! may properly be paid for from o. bond
issue, and that those matters repre-
sented by the second, third and fourth
classifications called "perishable feat
ures" should be paid for by direct tax
alton. In other words, it is equitable
to distribute the cost Of the "enduring
features" over a reasonable length of
| time and that posterity share in the
payment of such cost, whereas the
'perishable features" representing
those things used and worn out by the
present population, should be paid for
by the present population.
No real attempt, however, has thus
far been made to work out a system
Of bond issues and direct taxation
based upon this principle. Severe crit
icism is already being made in the
state of New York because so large a
percentage of the money raised by long
time bonds is being expended for sur
facing material which will disappear
long before the bonds are paid In
fact, some states have carried bond is
suing to such an unreasonable and
thoughtless extent that they are now
actually using bond money to pay for
the cost of ordinary repairs and MAIN
tenance. Both Of these acts are dis
tinctly wrong.
Alarm over the great increase in
bond issues and the very apparent mis-
use of such funds as represented above
has led some people to go to the OPP
pcsite extreme and to now require that
ALL read Improvements of whatever
kind or nature shall be paid for by cur
rent taxation. It is this feeling which
lies at the bottom of the present mill
tax NOV cment in Maine The pro-
ponents of this idea are honestly desir-
Gus that we shall pay as we 60" But
the job is too bis to be financed in any
such way as this, and get results as
quickly and as thoroughly as we
should
Road Building Too Slow.
The state highway commission has
been in existence practically three and
one-half years and it has taken that
time and an expenditure of nearly ST.
100000 to do what? To build ECO miles
Of a trunk line system of nearly 1900
vail
will, at the same rate of speed, take IA
years or until the year 1880 to COM
plete the trunk line system alone, to
say nothing Of the thousands Of miles
of country roads that are crying for
! immediate improvement and getting
but scant consideration.
Let it be supposed that the mill tax
, idea prevails, and the states expendi-
! ture for trunk lines is conducted upon
| that principle. This would limit the
expenditure for these same trunk lines
to approximately 100000 per year. The
trunk line up to date has averaged to
cost rising $1,000 per mile, and this plan
means, therefore, the completing of on
ly about 70 miles per year, probably
sprink!ed about as heretofore in short,
| disconnected sections. How long does
Aroostook County want to wait for a
; highway outlet to the rest Of the state
and country. and how long Franklin
and northern Somerset and Washing
! ton? This is not the big, broad way in
| which the State of Maine should tackle
! this problem. The people realize that
improved roads are an IMMEDIATE
! necessity and seek financial plan that
will produce sufficient funds to greatly
accelerate the work
The time has come, too, when a more
! careful analysis should be made con-
| corning the relative importance of the
different classes Of roads. So far in
| Maine the trunk lines, so-called, have
IN a general way been given the great
er attention on the part of all those
interested in highway development.
This has been due to the idea that a
| start must be made somewhere and al
so that a network Of trunk lines was
perhaps the most important thing to be
undertaken.
Then again. 1t is quite generally adj
mitted that the development of a trunk
line system yields direct returns to the
state by increasing the number of auto
mobile tourists and necessarily the
revenue derived therefrom.
And while all this is distinctly true. q
very great factor in the matter of
i -