Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-01-15

Oh Ineir ideals and place the valua-
Iiun upon property that tt1e property
WIZ "arranf- And Mr.. Stetsun told
Iue assessors ttrAt the meeting was
theirs, for more benefit vii, n. de.
rived from meetings in which al, ,.-
eiIipale- ne then briefly spoke If.
some matters regarding the relation of
-lie iocai asseasors 10 the Board Of
state Assessors
Nominating Committee Is Ap-
pointed
one matter Of business was then
oiouenl oefnre the convention. tina.
VI Ihe selection Of a committee 10
nominate for officers of the associa-
tinn. TO be voted upon this THURSDAY
morning. Tt was voted that Chair
man Sretson appoint this committee
and he made the following aupDiut
ment: Fred W. Davis of Rumfurd.
F. E. Weston of Winter Harbnr. and
2. z. Porter Of Mapleton.
Mr.. Stetson then introduced ttn
first speaker Of the afternoon. Hon.
+. A Peabody of HouIton. whose
talk was of vital interest to all m
attendance
Taxation for Roads,
Hon. Frank A. Peabody of Houlron,
whose address was upon the subject.
Taxation for Roads" spoke an fol-
lows:
Gentlemen Of the Convention:
NO doubt You are wondering what
/ am here for. and what | can ssv
To you about the subject assigned me
Il also am wondering what vpa
would do, II you were in my place
l am wondering # as highway
cnmmlssloner, md local selecr-nan
you were requested to speak to this
audience what you would do; and If
occupying the positions referred u.
and the request should curne fro,,,
the executive committee Of this as
suclaIlon. Of which you WERE a mem
per. would you refuse, or would vou
fall as l have done, get up here and
do the best you could.
l might as well state in the be-
ginning that il is not nv purpose TO
conhne my effort closely to the sub
Ject assigned me. which fact ynu
would doubtless discover before I Ind
gone very Tar, without nv calling
your attention TO il. but to disruss
with you frankly and freely some If
the problems OF road progress. and
the difficulties with which the Hirh-
way Commission have had 10 con-
tend.
You are probably we'll aware that
we do not lack for plenty of ADVICE
on the subject of road building, for
Il there IS any one thing under heav-
en- that everybody knows something
about. and ali willing to advise you
on Gree OF charge 1t is IN regard 10
roads.
II ls not 50 very long ago that our
State became Interested in roads.
NeighDoring states We're well under
way long before we began.
Maine first undertook road i'm
provement through Stare aid IN 1901
by providing for the payment OF halt
the cost of permanently improving d
section OF the main thoruughfare IN
any town. which should be designated
by the county commissioners as the
State Aid road. The amount TO pc
paid IN any town IN any year was
limited TO one hundred dollars and
in 1901 only one town. and that n
Aroostook county, took advantage If
the act. In 1902 other towns came IN.
In 1908 the limit was raised 10 S20G
and in 1905 TO 5000. Also in 1908
the Legislature created the Office Of
State commissioner of highways AMI
imposed upon him the duty Of inves
tisaung the whole highway problem
and making recomm endariuns
The results Of thar inquiry showed
that we had 25.530 miles highway
in the State. That per cent Of
this mileage was found in our 90
cities. That this per cent received
35 per cent. of all money raised IN
the State for road purposes. That
the other 81 per cent. Of mileage
was cared for by So per cent. of all
rhe road money. This explained why
il was that the country roads, gen
orally speaking, were so poor. The
cities were spending seven times as
much per mile for the care Of their
iUhQs DIS WSIS AliS IL" iiS
This investigation also brought out
another point in regard TO the care
less manner in which road money
WAS expended. III that the average
man who expended this money had
not the necessary qualifications or
experience 10 fit him for the work
and IN many cases had NOT even
served an apprenticeship IN road
making Therefore ii was fair to as
sumo that as a private business could
not succeed under such conditions.
that the great public business Of rord
building could not be successful il
the hands OF inexperienced men.
AS a direct result Of the inresri-
CATION referred 70. the Legislature ii
1907 upon recommendation of the
commissioner Of highways created a
State Highway department, placing
the supervision of all State aid work
under this department. It also es-
tabiished the principle Of paying
State ai6 more literally to towns of
small valuation than To the towns
and cities of large valuation. and
ffxed the appropriation for the pay
menr of State aid, at one-third Of 4
mill on the valuation Of the State.
State aid work then started in
earnest all over the State and Gre
ated such an interest that the Leg
islature in 1909 raised the appro-
rriation from 1-3 TO "a of a mill On
the valuation of the State.
In 1911 the mill tax principle was
abolished and a fat appropriation Of
s,an ono made to carry on the work