The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1921-06-23
SPEEDING UP. WORK
G. Commissioner Babcock Starts Main
tenance and Construction on
a Statewide Scale.
Babcock Plan Is Primarily to Provide
Good Road to Every Farm
Gate in Minnesota.

a Good Road to Every Farm
Gate in Minnesota.
Minnesota's highway development
Program, to pull the state out of the
mud and into the front OF good roads
anks, is rapidly passing from the
Ian to the actual performance stage,
according to official figures given out
his week by the state highway de-
,artment.
Road funds from all sources and TOR
al purposes in Minnesota this year
will aggregate $26,333 900, which will
include $4,000 Of automobile tax
revenue, federal aid and county bond
funds for use on trunk highways, and
s12, 5OO,O 900 of local tax funds and state
aid for improvements and repairs on
lateral or feeder roads.
Charles M. Babcock, state highway
with John H. Mullen,
assistant commissioner and chief high
way engineer, and other staff men,
and with the cooperation of county
road authorities, is working to spread
benefits as rapidly as possible. The
highway program for this season is
we'll under way, official figures show,
although less than 60 days have
passed since the legislature of 1921
put good roads amendment No. l into
effect, releasing funds and granting
authority. Preliminary work was
done quickly, however, and big de-
vclopmcnts are shown during the last
thirty days. = Il ~;~e'
A list of new construction projects
on which nearly $5,000,00O of state and
county funds is to be spent and which
are located in nearly so widely scat
tered sections of the state was recent
ly given out by o. L. Kipp and J. 7.
Ellison, chief engineers on construc-
ton and bridges respectively. About
SO 500 900 of these are already under
contracts and call for bids will be
made soon on the remaining and other
Eprojects. ,
w. F. Rosenwald, chief maintenance
engineer, and his assistant, Engineer
M. j. Hoffman, announce that 1909
patrolment, one for each 5 to Smile
section of trunk highway, arc now at
work keeping the roads smooth, also
that fleets made up of more than 40
tractors and 100 trucks are giving the
patrolmen special help when necessary
to put their sections in good shape for
maintenance. Names of patrolmen on
roads hereabouts are to be given out
soon.
1--WE are building and maintaining
good smooth highways, but we cannot
police them, too, under the law" the
commissioner says. "That is primari-
ly matter for the sheriffs Of the diff
ferent counties as far as rural high
ways are involved. But we will be
glad to cooperate as far as possible
to insure public safety in regard to
speeding as we'll as in other direc-
TONS" Counties which are employing
sheriffs' deputies for road policing on
motorcycles find the plan more than
ccf-sustaining, fines exceeding the ex-
pense. Speed-breaking bumps, de-
scribed as bumps that will be hardly
felt at 25-mile pace but will almost
throw occupants from cars driven
faster than 4O-miles an hour, were
suggested but Commissioner Babcock
said he was not ready to subscribe to
the idea.
The fact that the Babcock plan is
primarily to provide a good road to
every Minnesota farm gate and not
merely automobile boulevards is being
emphasized by the present campaign
for good federal aid legislation. That
it makes available approximately $5,-
100000 a year for the less expensive
though larger system of feeder roads
Cldu lOI Cllc ICtAVy vi Oh ~ VI uAin
routes has been pointed out by state
highway officials. Farmers roads
get first consideration under the Min
nesota highway plan. This is primar
lily an agricultural state and farmers
roads must have that place. Anything
that will hinder instead of help the
farmers of the state has no part in
, the program" says the commissioner.
The same policy will apply under the
intent of the new law regulating the
use of clcats and Jugs on wheels on
Minnesota highways, to allay the fears
of threshermen. Mud hooks arc barred
as a rule, but the use of Jugs will be
permitted when necessary. "Neither
the highway department nor the far
; mers want roads carelcssly torn up
and damaged, and we count on the
threshermen using good judgment to
avoid it," he says.