Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-12-06

The Maine State Highway Com,
mission will ask the coming Lesisla-
! ture for an appropriation of ap-
proximately 100000 a year to carry
on it's work. This amount includes
the maintenance and administration
of the department. which asks for
100000 for the first six months Oh
1921, ss50,0O0 for the next fiscal year
and s925,00O for the following fiscal
year.
Unless the law is changed the ap-
/ preparation for maintenance and ad-
| ministration must cover the office
expenses of the commission, the pur-
chase of automobile plates, the entire
expense of the secretary of states
Office in handling and sending out
registration plates and licenses 10
drivers. and the expense OF the at
torney generals Office for a force OF
automobile inspectors. so called" said
Col. William NJ. Aver of Oasiand, the
chairman of the State Highway Com
mission Saturday.
tDuring the last four years all OF
these items have been charged to the
maintenance and administration ac-
count of the State highway depart
ment although the department mas
had nothing to do with the handling
of automobile plates" continued Col.
Aver.
/ In 1918 this deficit amounted
practically $4,000. In 1919 the g
! felt was rising 100000 and ".
| largely wiped out by using the 49,"
fees collected in October, November
and December. 1919. and used against
the 1919 deficit At the present time
| the deficit showing on the books OF
the highway department and the audi
I tors Office is in excess Of 100000, but
there remains to be collected from the
! cities and towns on account of 1920
maintenance work already done about
| 100000 Other adjustments will be
made for rental of trucks, which are
/ chargeable to maintenance, which Will
make the net deficit for the year sub
stantially 100000. This deficit has
| been created with the knowledge OF
the Governor and Council and with
the understanding that at the end o.
the year. the deficit would be taken
care of by transfer from the con-
tingent fund.
1.-The particular reason that the
deficit is so large this year is on ac-
count of the fact that s3.c00,000 Of
bonds have been issued to be paid for
from automobile license fees. which is
the only source of money for the
maintenance of roads.
1.-The legislature has directed that
| the bond issue shall have a first
claim on the fees, which is entirely
proper. That leaves the road main
tenance without sufficient funds. The
| public is crying for more maintenance
| every day and in no one OF the last
three years has the highway COM
mission performed as much mair-
tenance work as it felt was necessary.
simply because the members recog-
nized the financial conditions under
| which they were operating. We have
long held that when the State. could
not afford to properly maintain the
roads already constructed, furthe-
construction operations ought TO
cease.
1--WE are asking for an increased
appropriation for State aid roads
from $4,000 to $750,O00 per year to
enable the commission to apportion to
towns applying for State aid the full
amounts which they ask for During
the past year applications received
from the towns would have required
$699,000 of State aid. The matter was
finally adjusted by the Governor AMI
Council granting an appropriation
from the contingent fund which en-
abled the commission to apportion to
all towns the regular State aid APP
piled for and to those towns apply
ing for extra aid for the first time an
apportionment to cover the amounts
they asked for. This left 50 towns
which had applied for extra aid to
the extent of over $4,000 without
receiving any extra aid. 1t is rather
disconcerting for the commission to
furnish information to a large num-
Der of towns each year showing how
they can secure additional aid, and
then when the applications are re-
ceived to have to write to these towns
that there is no money to meet their
local appropriation. This has been
the status of affairs during the last
four years.
I'VE will ask for 100000 for each
OF the years 1920 and 1921 for the con-
struction Of bridges. Applications
now in hand for state and county aid
for bridge construction, where ar