The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1918-03-01

At this time the State Roads Com
mission is engaged in preparing for
the work Of the year, which will be-
gin as soon as the weather moder-
ates, and the bids for supplies show
that the material to be used will cost
far more than it did last year, while
last year was more expensive in this
regard than the preceding twelve
month.
! The cost of the maintenance of the
roads has been met mainly from the
automobile license tax, and there is
at the present time discussion as to
whether this should not be increased.
Frank H. ZOuck, chairman of the
State Roads Commission, has been
making study of the maintenance
problem, and he has come to the CON
clusion that more money will have to
be provided from some source. Re-
CARELESS of what other States have
done, Maryland has been foremost
in taking care Of the highways and
not letting them go to pieces.
What The Report Says.
In the report of the State Roads
Commission Mr.. Zouck has devoted a
chapter to the maintenance problem,
and in this he says:
1--WE no doubt could maintain our
roads with the present truck traffic
on them, but everybody realizes that
the age OF the truck is just dawn
ing and in few years our main
highways will be carrying traffic
unthought of few years back. It
is argued by truck owners that a
road should be built to carry any
weight of vehicle that they may wish
to use. This is unreasonable, for,
when our early roads were built, the
truck had not put in its appearance,
and If it were possible to replace all
OF our roads at once with the latest
type of construction, with the same
percentage of increase in the weight
of trucks in the next three years as
in the past three years, no type of
road known at the present time to
road builders would stand the strain.
Heavy trucks are the result of
good roads. Without good roads
trucks are useless and it is to the
advantage of the truck owners that
the weight of trucks be curtaiIed to
weight by which the roads can be
maintained; otherwise by destroying
the roads he also destroys his bust
ness.
Cannot Last Long.
1T can be readily understood that
waterbound macadam road, which
is broken stone rolled into place with
luton roller, having 400 pounds
to the inch of bearing surface, will
not long endure traffic having 500
or 800 pounds, or moro. to the inch
of bearing surface.
THE last toll road entering Balti-
more city to be taken over by the
State was the one from Westminster
via Reisterstown to Baltimore. A
number OF hucksters used this road
coming from Westminster and other
points to Baltimore, and the toll paid
by them amounted to about $3.50
round trip, and they made but one
trip a week. Many of these same
hucksters are now operating a one
ton truck, for which the license costs
SO per year, and are making from
four to five trips week, and with
the same number of trips over the
old pike they would have paid over
$500 year in toll. This turnpike was
never paying proposition and it is
useless to say that this traffic can be
carried at the present rate the state
tfs receiving.
THE revenue for maintaining our
roads was formerly derived from two
sources-the one cent State tax and
the motor vehicle licenses. The Legis-
lature of 1916 removed the one cent
State tax, leaving the receipts from
the automobile licenses as the only
revenue out of which to maintain the
roads. We now have a maintenance
deficit OF s747,752.59, and some
action should he taken to provide an
adequate maintenance fund from
some source SO that we shall not De
compelled to divert the money from
our construction fund, as has baen
necessary in the past. which is wrong
in principle and should be stopped =