Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1918-05-04
Patrol Maintenance System.

i'll charge of sections, a certain
mileage of road. This mileage will
vary. III some places of intensive
traffic it will keep the patrolmen
busy to care for FIVE miles and in
others patrolman can care for ten
miles. Signs will mark the begin
ming of each patrol section, giving
the name of the patroman and the
number of the patrol section. Each
patrolman will wear a suitable
badge, showing his number.
The patrolmen will devote their
whole time during the maintenance
season to keeping their section of
the road in condition. Each patrol
man will be required to keep his
section we'll graded and drained,
use the drag and road plane when
needed to keep the surface smooth
and add new material where requir-
ed, keep the brush away from dan
gerous places, such as sharp turns,
keep grass and weeds cut adjacent
to the road and culverts, add new
material and repair defects. He will
be equipped by the county with
light road grader, road plane, slip
scraper and complete outfit. The
patrolman will be required to fur
nish team and wagon, work ten
hours day, furnish regular re-
ports to the State Highway Com
mission and the County Highway
Commissioner. He is expected to
give information TO the travelling
public and be of assistance to them
where necessary. The patrolman
will give bond in the sum of $500
for the faithful performance of his
duties.
The funds for the maintenance
of the State Trunk Highway sys-
tenn are derived from the automo
bile license fees and are allotted
among the counties on the basis of
the State Highway mileage in each
county. These funds remain in the
state treasury until the county de-
monstrates to the State Highway
Commission that it has maintained
the roads up to requirements and
are entitled to the funds allotted to
them. About 5000 will be avail
able for 1918 throughout the state,
or an average of about S175 per
mile. the amount increasing from
year to year as the automobile Ii
Censes increase. In addition to this
amount, many counties have ap-
propriated maintenance funds for
repair or reconstruction of portions
of the system and there will prob
ably be total available in 1918 of
81, 200, 900 for repairs and malnten-
ance. In the past some moneys
have been spent on county main
tenance, but it IS safe to say that
80 percent of the system has not
received an average expenditure Of
$50 per mile per year for this pur-
pose.
The public must be patient and
give an opportunity for the patrol
maintenance system to be develop
ed. When one considers that 500
patrolmeu must be selected, many
of them new to the work, the en-
tire system new in Wisconsin, the
! bigness of the task will be appre-
ciated. Too much must not be ex-
pected Immediately. 1t will take a
goodly part of the season of 1918
to get the system marked and sign
ed and to train the patrolmen to
give maximum returns.
The travelling public is in posi-
and should cooperate. The auto
mobile owner, it is true, is paying
for this maintenance, but he is the
one who is creating the demand for
it. When the system is running
smoothly he will be fully satisfied
and even will be willing to yield to
an increase in the automobile Ii
cense fee to secure further improve
ments, as it means money in his
pocket. 1t is confidently predicted
from the experience of other states