Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-01-15

matter is that the proposal does not
disturb the state road and bridge
fund commonly known as the "state
| aid fund.-" which is established by
Section 16 of the Article TX of the
constitution This is the one-mill tax
which is distributed to the counties
on basis Of one per cent minimum
| and three per cent maximum to any
county. Neither is the county and
township road and bridge funds dis
turbed.
The purpose Of leaving these funds
! intact was to enable the counties to
build lateral or feeder roads necessary
to weave the Trunk Highway system
into comprehensive and serviceable
network Of we'll improved roads
These secondary roads are necessary
to pick up the traffic at the points Of
origin adjacent to the trunk highway,
concentrate it on the main road and
then, when necessary, take the traf-
fic Of the trunk lines and distribute
to the point Of final destination not
located on the main line.
Three Classes of Roads.
Under the proposed plan, the state
will have three classes of roads, each
with we'll defined service to perform
First, there will be the Trunk Line
system, which will carry the through
traffic from one section Of the state
to another. This will be the backbone
of the Minnesota Public Highways and
will be built and maintained by the
state at state expense. Then there
will be the secondary system. This
will be comprised of the 1000 miles
Of state roads not included in the
trunk line system. These roads will
be improved jointly at county and
state expense, through the operation
Of the state aid funds. They will be
the main feeders of the trunk sys-
tenn and will be the branch lines tor
concentrate and distribute the traf-
to and from the main lines Lastly
there will be the territory or local
road system, which will feed the feed
ers, If you will pardon the expression,
and will be built at local expense
They are the roads which lead to the
outlying farmers gate; the roads
which give him access to the trunk
line.
Real Merit of Plan.
The real merit of this plan is seen
when we learn that approximately
eighty per cent Of the money expended
on state roads in Minnesota during
the past five years has been used on
the Identical roads to be embraced in
the trunk Highway system This will
mean, II the amendment carries, there
will be available for the secondary
system, or the state aid roads, ap-
proximately 100000 annually, or
$6O,O0O,O00 In the ten year period
required for the reconstruction Of
the trunk system. This will afford
enough money to bring these roads
to state of improvement as high as
that OF any road in the state today
That is not hard surfaced; state of
improvement, which, considering the
lighter traffic which will move oye-
hem, will be equal to the hard surface
placed on the main trunk lines under
heir heavy traffic. There should be
10 trouble to obtain sufficient money
or the local roads so that in 1881, the
year Of completion OF the
runk line system, the state should
20 able to give vent to this proud
coast: NINETY SIX THOUSAND
NILES OF HIGHWAYS AND EVERY
AAAG AO1&UAIEL1 lMPROVED.
Financing the Road.
Now few words as to the plan OF
lnanc1ng. One Of the earliest meth
IDS of financing highway construction
vas the establishment of the toll
Dad" The toll road was a road
Which was built with private capital
nd the builders were given a right
levy tax, or toll, on every vehicle
asstng over it. The plan was based
n the principle that the traffic was
enehtted by the road and that the
ser Of the road was the proper one
D pay for it.
OF course the toll road was a print
I've proposition and believe the idea
'as abandoned many years ago ex-
ept as it was applied to the financing
bridge construction The principal
bjection to the plan Is the annoyance ?
Though some say that others were
enef1tted who do not pay their share,
) for instance the merchant who pro-
to from the patronage Of customers
no pay a toll in order to get to his
ore.
While the plan of the toll road has
ng fallen into disuse the principle
employed in the proposed method
Continued on psxe &.