Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-12-30
ROADS AT END
OF THE YEAR
f. A. CANNON WRITES OF
WISCONSIN ROAD
IMPROVEMENTS

+. A. Cannon executive secretary of |
the Good Roads association of Wis |
consin, declares that Wisconsin roads |
were never better than in 1920 The |
outlook for the coming year was never
brighter than that before us for 1921. |
HIS New Year survey follows:
The figures at hand show that dur
ing the year 1920 a total of 623 miles |
or earth road were improved by grad |
ing and draining; 624 miles of sand |
clay surfacing; and 1873 miles of con-
crete surfacing. This is total Of 1851 |
miles of Wisconsin highways i'm
proved in the form of construction in
the past year-a remarkable record /
considering the conditions.
In the matter of maintenance, 1924 /
miles of the State Trunk Highway sys-
tenn were under patrol maintenance |
this year in charge of 854 patrolmen
There was available for this purpose
from automobile license fees, $1,750,-
600. The heavy-traffic counties added |
to that $3.50, 900 making a total of ST.
100000. Several thousand miles of .
county trunk highways were also
handled under patrol maintenance
There was available for this 100000 |
from the autOmombile license fund,
which in many instances, was in
creased by the counties from local |
funds.
Hampered i'm 1920
There were many hampering condi- |
tions in 1920. Labor and materials |
were high, making prices Of construc-
ton in many instances prohibtive |
Cars for the transportation of mater
ial were extremely difficult to secure, |
In Nf<
The condition Of the bond market was
such that it was practically impossible |
to market bonds for road improve
ment. This had marked effect, es-
pecially on the mileage of concrete |
surfacing constructed. Taking it all |
in all, however, and looking at the
whole state, Wisconsin never made |
better progress in a single year nor
were her roads round in better con-
dtion.
For the year 1921 the outlook is
highly optimistic. The labor and |
transportation condition has improved. |
Prices are sliding and never in his
tory of the state have the various
counties provided for such big pro-
grams of road improvement. The |
counties which have bonded are an
xious to push their work.
$2l.OOO, 900 Available
There will be a total of approx |
mately $24,000,000 available for high
way construction and maintenance in
1921 from all sources federal, state,
counties and other local units, and
motor vehicle licenses. OF this $19,- |
5000 is for construction and 81 $780, |
900 for maintenance The construction
fund is made up of So 100000 from
bond issues and $S,000,000 under the
State Trunk Highway act. which in
cludes the federal aid. The balance |
is made up of state county and local |
funds.
The carrying out of this program
depends in a measure on conditions
which. at the present look bright |
The bond issue program depends |
largely on the condition of the bond |
market. Such counties as WaukeSha, |
Fond du Lac, Racine, Dodge and |
Brown have in view bond issue high |
way construction running in each in
stance from $75O,000 to $1,000,000.
Wisconsin Leads
To revert to the highway situation
in the state during the past year, it |
may be said that Wisconsin has taken |
the ledueTSHlp III tue Mluuie west /
Emulation is the best commentator.
Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois. Michigan |
and other states have adopted our |
road marking system Illinois will
undoubtedly adopt our patrol main
tenance system. large number of
delegations. especially from Illinois,
have visited Wisconsin during the
year to learn how we do things"
The press of other states has words
of praise for the Wisconsin idea in +
road building and maintenance. Two I
of the leading farm papers in the Mid
die West recently sent staff CORES |
pondents TO look over the Wisconsin /
roadside Orange Judd Farmer and /
the Prairie Farmer. They wrote up
glowing stories regarding the road
work in Wisconsin and urged that
their own state, Illinois, adopt the
Wisconsin system. A Chicago Tri- |
bune correspondent. after touring the
states of the Middle West. gave the
palm to Wisconsin and said that this !
state was doing what other states
were theoriZing about. The Chicago /
Automobile Journal. looking at things
from the tourists point of view. said
that Wisconsin had become the tourist
ground of the Middle West because |
of the good roads within her borders. |
All in all. in the retrospect and in
prospect, Wisconsin'S good roads en- |
thusiasts can feel happy at the end of
the year.
SECOND HAND stationery gas en-