The Republican journal., 1921-07-21
THE HIGHWAY REFERENDUM


The State Highway Commission con-
sists of three members and the annual
salary of each is $1,000. In addition to
this each member is allowed his actual
expenses when performing his official
duties. 1t is not to be expected that men
competent to wisely direct the expendi-
ture of one or two million dollars year
will devote their whole time or give their
undivided attention to the work of the
State Tor such a small salary. The last
legislature passed law which would
a bolish the present highway COM
mission and provide for full time COM
mission, consisting of three members, to
take up and carry on the States road
work. The salary of the chairman of the
new commission was fixed at SIS, 600 and
of the other two members at 81, 500 a
year each. The actual expenses of each
member when actually engaged in his
official duties were to be paid by the
State. Petitions have oeen filed with the
Secretary of State ask ing chat this new
law be referred to the people. The fact
that these petitions haV We been signed by
14,516 voters, 4,5l6 mole than the num-
Der required to sustain referendum,
shows that there is somewhat general
objection to this new law The next step
will be a proclamation by the Governor
naming the date for special election to
decide whether the people will accept or
reject this law. The statute provides
that refere ndum shall not in any case
be voted on until four months after the
proclamation has been mi ade by the Gov
ernor, and therefore ths people cannot
vote on this matter on the second Mon
day of September next, when it may be
that an election will be held to vote on
three constitutional amendments which
have been proposed by joint resolution of
the Maine Senate and House. Whether
Governor Baxter will proclaim a special
election in November or will let all these
matters go over to the State election
next year is not known atthis writing.
Our highway problem is big one and
the first steps toward a solution of it
were taken in 1905 when the legislature
ordered an investigation of conditions.
The report showed that we had %, $50
miles of road in the State and that the
upkeep Of these roads cost about ST, AGO.
900 every year. The average experience
in road work of road surveyors
mad been about two years and hall.
AS resul. Of this and other informa ion
the legislature of 1897 passed State aid
road law aid provided io5 the appoint
ment of Highway Cmm sioner. I'm
der this law we worked along till 1913,
six years, and built $50 mics of State
aid road at cost of about 81 $50, 900. In
1918 the law under which we are now
working was passed and the Governor
appointed three State Highway Commits
sioners, not one of whom had had even
as much experience in road building and
road maintenance as had the old-time
road surveyors prior to 1905. In the years
following 1918, 800 out of the $50 miles
of road mentioned above were rebuilt at
a cost of about three million dollars. We
have no data at hand showing what was
spent on the other 200 miles of road
built ~ between 1907 and 1918. There
has been much other work done and
without giving further details brief
summary of the work OF the present
Highway Commission shows that it has
reconstructed 1869 miles of road, of which
300 miles is state highway" 796 miles
10 estate aid road'' and SO miles were
built from funds appropriated by special
resolves or from special funds. The total
cost of building or reconstructing these
roads was S7,570,000, the expense of
maintenance of these roads was 81, 6OO,-
900, and about 1897, ZOO was expended for
bridge construction, total of SO, 567, 900.
The above facts and figures were taken
from report Of the chief engineer of the
highway commits sion, to the last legisla-
sure. When the members of the legsla-
'5ure saw these figures and realized that
the cost of the maintenance of these new
and expensive roads had been $40 dol
lars year, on an average for every mile
of them, and saw $3.50, 900 State Garage
in process of construction, they decided
to 'clean house."