Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-10-28
From the Elmer Times.

County Board of Freeholders last
week, Engineer H. B. Keasbey read a
highly interesting account of the road
construction and methods of financing
as followed by the State Highway De-
nartment of Maryland, which is known
as the Good Roads State" The tour
of the Freeholders over the state sys-
tenn of Maryland, a few weeks ago,
proved of great interest to the road
builders of Salem County, and the in
formation in this article, most of which
comes directly from the pen of no less
an authority than the State Highway
Commissioner, should prove highly in
teresting to every taxpayer, for good
roads and taxes bear a very close rela-
tionship.
To the Board of Chosen Freeholders of
the County of Salem.
Gentlemen:
Since our return from our inspection
trip, my attention has been drawn to
the following article, which appeared
in the issue of September, 1920, of
"Public Roads," a publication of the
Bureau of Public Roads, Washington,
D. C. This article was written by
j. N. Mackall, Chairman of the Mary
land State Roads Commission and ex-
plains their policy.
why should it be necessary to i'm
prove improved roads? Naturally that
is the first question which must arise
8. ~. -z:-l 20 &h1 vnodar UThot mol
icy of road construction has made it
necessary to improve roads already
improved? Maryland's experience in
road construction provides a striking
answer to these questions. 1t is the
belief of the writer that the policy OF
SO improving roads that later they will
require further improvement is funda-
mentally sound and correct. Indeed,
it is probably to this policy that Mary
land owes her position as n of the
foremost good road states of the
Union.
In 1908, on the advice of the late
Gov. Austin L. Crothers, Maryland m
harked on a program of extensive
highway improvement. Five Million
dollars was appropriated for the pur-
pose, a sum which at that time ap-
peared so large that many people
throughout the state believed that the
height of extravaganza had been
reached. The development of automo-
bile traffic was then in it's early stages.
The policy of licensing the motor We
LII g. .@oI ,,oinfnnonnn had hQ6n
entered upon only a short time before,
and the ideas which then prevailed as
to the future development OF motor
traffic are we'll illustrated by a passage
from the message of Gov. Crothers to
the legislature, advocating the license
fee. He recommended the creation OF
a motor vehicle department, the licens-
ing of automobiles, n then added
this very illuminating remark, In
time, it is probable that the revenue
from this source will reach 100000
per year." In 1920, twelve years from
that time, it amounts to approximately
$2,500,00 But to have embarked at
that time on the construction OF a sys-
TEN of roads designed to accommodate
an automobile traffic which would
yield annually in license fees the pres
ent return of $4,000, 900, when the most
enlightened imagination could l
conceive that in time it woul reacn
$100, 900 proportions, would nave en-
tailed a burden of cost which could
never have been met, because sentl-
roN-4 1-.-II 20 horo hnnn nTQ4fln Tor
the financing of any such program.
The commission, therefore, it seems TO
the writer, very wisely adopted a pol
icy of building roads as good as the
taxpayer was willing to pay for, ROADS
which would meet reasonably the tra1-
fc of the time and of the immediate
future, leaving the unforeseen future
to care for itself.
Low Cost of Early Roads
The average cost of the roads built
from the first appropriation was less
than $4,000 per mile. In some cases
the work entailed considerable grad
ing and drainage, but in others II
amounted simply to resurfaclng the
old turnpikes, which had ALREADY peen
graded and drained, which kept the
average cost down to the low figure OF
100000. Generally speaking, the a
built at that time were of macadam' IL
feet in width, and 6 inches in thick
ness, but the width was soon increased
TO IA feet. If roads IS, or ever 10 1eeI
In width, of some such material as pl-
luminous macadam had been Dullt at
that time, it is not improbable That the
public would have become alarmed at
the tremendous cost, and long ago
ceased to continue appropriations lor
road building. 1t is interesting TO note
therefore, that the commissions poilcy
OF building low-type roads met VIII
the uniform commentator OF all tne
people Of the state and every succes-