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

way Commission 10 lay out a system
Of State highways which should De
the principal rnorougnfares Of the
State, and a systsm of State cid
highways which should be feeders 10
the State highway system
The lHw also placed n the hands
Of the commission the maintenance
Of all State and State AID highways
IS fast as constructed and directed
the commission to take ever tor
maintenance certain portions Of State
Aid highways already constructed.
This law provided for the issue Of
s2.0eo. 900 Of bonds 10 be applied tn
the construction Of State highways
and that automobile license and reg
istrarion fees should be used for the
payment of interest on all State high
way bonds issued, tn retire said bonds
as they became due. and for the
maintenance Of State and State Ai7
highways.
The trunk highway system as then
LAID out, you are al more or less ia
miliar with. That The 1400 miles Sc
lected passes through go cities and
towns. ana serves approximately 70
per cent Of the population and valu-
alton Of the State.
During the six years ls14-1s1s in
elusive substantially 400 miles OF
this system has been reconstructed:
enough e all placed in the original
trunk line 10 reach from Kir1ery To
Fort Kent. Different types Of con-
structinn have been used-higher
types where traffic Is the heaviest
and most seyere-apouI so or 20
miles has been constructed Of gravel.
In 1s15 the Legisla ltue suppiemeu1-
ed the original law regarding main
tenance by providing that towns
Should place under the direction Of
the commission certain mileage Of I'M
improved State and State Aid high
ways and thus make possible rhe car
r'ylng on Of maintenance by smp w
ing parrolmen. This work was Start
ed in 1916 and IN 1917 and 1918 we had
Approximately 3T23 miles of highway
under patrol employing about AS pa
r1olmen from about april 70 Nov
Of each year
During The past year we nal 4.si
o. miles under patrol: $685. mics
State highway; S43.72 State Aid a,.tl
- - 20 Unimproved. The tota! c1s-- of
this work in 1919 was approxiHta rely
S1Do.0o0 OF which s5D6 900 was furnish
&C by the State and s21D. 900 by the
towns
In 1917 The Legislature passed the
mil Tax for road purposes. ara IF
this appropriation added 500. g8D 10
the original s30b.08o State Aid s1nti.
making $500. 600 for State all. and
leaving s::2a10eD for ther work.
In 1919 the Legislature decider to
return 10 the system of special ra-
solves, which had been dropped rcr
serne years. anG set ASIDE FIR rhje
purpose for each Of The years 1919
and 1920 about sg6. 900 # The s:s2I con
winch might have 3een ~sed 1.ur
road building on the regular sy-ste-n
'.olsednentiy We could do but lit
-ie constructive ii 1919 as we had
LUZ @--u.neG TO work with and il "a
CURED his amount TO clean nm -hp
WORK already under way. Therefore
we could not plan any new work
penGing the result of the vote on me
p'did lssue- In this connection il IS
Interesting To note that on this I'M
! Peit-ilI natter. although the vote in
ne state was strongly n favor of
Inc road program, some few towns on
The trunk lines voted against tho is
sue 'rwo OF them in my own cDun-
ha pyv g
ch The line gave the largest f:,uora-
bic vote in the State.
The bond issue receiving the en-
dorsement of the people. We now
haVe money enough n sight IN build
me trunk line system, Blu. +hass
ROADS must be maintained and tho
bonds with the Interest ON them mus,
he paid
nad nopeG that the Legislature ar
Inc special session would allow +ba
MIL tax over and above the soon ann
Tor State Ala. 10 be used tn INV i,ra,
est retire the bonds. and assis, in
maintenance; but instead they made
anotner assault on this fund. in me
SO called Granville biiI-which Iaavas
us we don't know where. ami o,,,-
pncate the road program. In NV
Judgment II would have bean -,ncn
Deter, IT necessary. to do anv-hi,r
TO nave added this extra rnonp, u
me second class or State Aid -nnd,
and IN this way TO have accunn,;.b-
ed something definite.
Tne speaker does not presume 4,
dictate. nor even TO suggest 10 rhe
Legislature what its hould do ror
any semniance of suggestion is liable
TO De mIEconstrued but sir,nIv .s ,
member Of the Highway Commission
10 carry out to the best of his abi,-
lfy the laws which they place on rho
statute books. However. ~~hones-
constructive criticiHn is aIwpv. nv
missibie.
In passing l wish TO commend +he
state Grange on its recent acfion NJ
Bangor endorsing the road urnp-arp
and TO note that the National
Grange favors the Federal Townsend
bill-which bill aims for a Feder.I
highway commission and at Ieast
two Federal trunk lines in evarv
state quilt and maintained BY the
Federal government.
From the foregoing IN SUMMARIZE
ing II Is interesting to note that the
State furnished for State Aid mr.
poses IN 1901 500; in I9G7-sI3n.
in 191o-$321.15 1853; in 1916 $500. 900: in
1919 $500 900. This all in addir,on
to the original bond isuue for con.
Structlon and the Maintenance nro-
v1ded by automobile receipts with the
balance IN recent years from r,,.