The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1917-02-01
Tine GRANGE STATE
wide HIGHWAY ELL


investigation which extended into
the remotest corners of the state of
Maine and which sought to probe to
the bottom the many and diversified
interests of the state at large, the
Statewide Good Roads Committee
proposed new mill tax and general
highway law which is to be intro
duced under the title of the Grange
Statewide Highway bill. This bill
has the endorsement of the following
organizations of the state: The
Maine State Board of Trade, The
Maine State Grange, The Hotel
Keepers Association, The CONNER
cial Travellers Association, The
Maine Automobile Association and
some forty local chambers of COM
merce and boa eds of trade. For the
drafting of the bill the State Wide
Committee had the assistance and
advice of the most expert authorities.
i. The Dill is to be commended Tor
its brevity and directness. Briefly
summarized, It provides for a tax Of
one mill on ali the property of the
state for the construction of state
and state-aid highways. The mill
tax will yield, for the year 1917, the
sum Of 1921 900, and under the bud
get system as is icing planned now
for the equalization of legislation,
will be raised without increasing the
state tax to any apnreciahle amount,
in all probability not at all.
Of this &521,00O, the SUN Of $780,
600 is added to the regular state-ad
fund of $30G,00 making a total of
100000 for the construction OF
state-aid or market roads and this
aggregate sum added to the S200,00o
which the towns and cities raise viii
give a grand total of 100000, an
nually. for the construction OF mar
ket roads in our state If nothing
else were accomplished by thiS law,
this inrraase Of twothirds over The
amount formerly given by the state
for this very necessary purpose
would Justify the mill tax bill. 1t
is to be clearly understood that, in
order to get these increased benefits,
the towns are not required to in
crease their proportion by dollar.
The balance of the $521,to0 or
1921 ,099 is to be devoted to the con-
struction of state roads. In addition
to this $321,0OO for state roads there
will be available from the federal
government the following amounts:
for 1917, $146,25O; for 1918, s146,250
for 1919, s19J,oo5 and for the year
1920, $243,750. The following sum-
mary will show clearly the equitable
distribution of the highway iunds for
the next four years.
State-aid Roads State Roads
1917 $500 900. ...... .$453,750
1918 ....... 100000. ....... 453,750
1919 ...,.... 100000. ....... $4,000
1920 ...... 100000. ....... $4,000
Administration is to be deducted
equally from the two funds.
The bill further provides for the
following conditions:
I. No part of the mill tax fund is
to be used for the construction Of
roads on that part Of a street devoted
exclusively to business; or on any
street where the houses on each side
of the street average less than
twenty feet apart in towns or cities
OF over $500 inhabitants.
H. Provision is made for better
construction.
Ill Instead of $50 per mile for
maintenance on state roads, provis-
ion is made for s125 per mile to be
provided by the towns through which
the highway runs.
". With the approval Of the Gov
ernor and Council, the Highway
Commission is given permission to
construct sections of state roads
without the formality of advertising
for bids, if the same can be done for
the best interests of the state.
V. To provide for the distribution
of the 100000 additional which is
given to market roads, towns will re-
ceive onethird more than formerly,
without increasing the present APP
preparation of the towns themselves.
vi. The 1920 limit for towns wish
ing to take advantage of the five
times" clause for market roads Is
done away with
VII A special or equalization
fund of not more than $4,000 Is
created. to assist towns having an
excessive highway burden, to elimi-
nate especially bad sections on their
principal roads not comprised with
in the system of state and state-atd
highways.
Generally speaking, the next
Grange Statewide Highway bill not
only provides sufficient funds for the
steady and consistent development
of our highways throughout the
state; but looks forward to contin-
uous policy of road construction for
many years to come. The old
highway policy will be so modi-
fed that, while the state will lose
none of the advantages Of the CEN
tralized control under which it
operated during the last four years,
,1,,n ,orartboJoce hv elm.