Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-08-31
Favor Amendment
Commissioner Nelson
Argues for Change
portland Pressl

! in favor of the bond issue amendment
at the election Sept. 1 said Lyman
| H. Nelson, member of the Highway
| commission. when asked recently 10
| explain this matter.
This amendment, which appears as
number two on the official ballot, does
not mean the voting Of more bonds but
merely changes the constitution. so
that the highway bond money now be-
| ing used exclusively on state high
way may also be used upon state-aid
highways. To my mind the chief
point is this; thai by adopting this
amendment, we Will place our highway
Financing upon sounder and more
| consistent basis than it now is. At
the present time the cost Of state high
ways is being met about fifty percent
I by bond money and fifty percent
by money collected by the federal gov
eminent in direct taxation and later
! returned to the states to build high
ways. This is good business, because
it applies the sound principle that as
about fifty percent of a road cndures
for a long time, and the other fifty
percent is comparatively temporary
and wears out quickly, therefore,
money borrowed on state bonds may
properly and wisely be expended on
the enduring portion and its payments
Years; while the temporary portion be-
ing used and worn out by US Of the
present generation should be paid for
by. us out of our own pockets by direct
taxation.
The bond money may be considered
as being invested in changes of grade
by making cuts and fills; changes of
lalignments; taking land from private
owners in order TO change sharp
curves: the laying of heavy stone
foundation; and Generate culverts and
bridges, etc, all of which will last for
many years. These things will be of
just as much advantage and save just
as much hauling expense to the next
generation, as they do to US. They
are permanent public improvements,
and it is just as proper to ask the peo-
pie of the next 20 years or so TO help
pay this bill as it is to issue bonds for
a school house or any other public i'm
provement Of an enduring nature. But
the temporary part. the surface, (and
not surface in the world is perma-
nehD wears out quickly. and should be
paid for by taxation, and we can con-
slider that it is that portion of the road
into which the Federal taxation money
goes.
Now we want to apply this same
sound business principle that we use
on state highways to the state-aid or
country roads At the present time
this latter class of roads is being built
and paid for entirely by direct taxa
ton of the people of Maine. The pas
. sage of this bond issue amendment
however will shift about fifty percent
of that burden and spread it over
reasonable term of years. leaving the
balance of the cost TO be- borne by
those now using. the roads. If this
. principle is sound for our state high
ways or trunk lines, il is Just exactly
as sound for our state-aid or rural
roads. because the cuts and fills and
, all the other enduring things that we
do on state-aid road are just as en-
during and just as permanent as they
are on the state highwyS.
MORE STATE-AID ROADS
s'TIS mara of AMENDING ntr cor-
stitutiOn at the present time will also
provide the Highway commission with
funds enough SO that they, as repre-
senting the state can keep faith with
the cities and towns in their legal ap-
fplications for state aid. At the present
time such is not the case. The state
laid roads are now built under three
forms Of state assistance: first. the
which the poorer towns are helped in
greater proportion that those of high
er valuation; second, by the Three
Towns Act, so-called which was ere
ated TO encourage the joining of three
or more towns together, so their com
fbined efforts win build a long. contin-
uous road and for SO doing the state
offers a special bonus: third, the Five
Times Clause So-cailed which on
courages all cities and towns to raise
additional amounts of money for con-
sTucting rural or state-aid roads, and
which grants a special bonus to the
towns willing to do this.
AT each session of the Legislature
an appropriation IS made to cover
these three methods For several years
this amount has been $500, 600. but it
has neve$ been enough. so that the
state. as I have said before. could keep
it's promises to the people under these
, various acts. This year Q921 there
was enough to take care of the first
and second plan, but nowhere near
enough for the third plan: in fact
only about twenty percent of the five
times clause" money was available.
Had a sufficient sum been available
the towns applying for the full five
times could have built on an average
about three times as much read as
they did. Now if the bond amendment
is adopted. thus using bond money to
take the place of the money appro-
priated by the state for this purpose,
there will be enough more of it SO
as TO supply all the money the towns
call for under these acts. This means.
then very great increase in the miles
of state-aid roads that cam be built,
This seems to mo 10 be a very i'm
should pay more attention than we are
now doing to the development of the
state-aid or rural roads, and especially
when we can do it. as | shall show la
ter. with out seriously affecting the
continuance of our trunk line program.
Now that We have already made sub
,stantial progress on our trunk line. it
lis more important than ever that we
line. The trunk line is a fine thing
for all those who live upon il or can
get to it over a good road, but its value
is not so great TO the farmers and in
dustrial establishments located five.
ten or fifteen miles from the trunk
! line, unless there is a feeding road
over which they can haul practically
as much as they can when they get to
the trunk line. If you have a poor
road on the first part of the haul you
/ can only haul as much as that road
permits. and, therefore. you are not
getting the full benefit of the millions
+ of dollars that have gone into the
trunk lines until this difficulty is rem
edied. Therefore. the construction of
the feeders to the trunk line should
go along with it. Then. again. the
building of roads from the agricul-
tural producing points to the market
ant. If nor more so, than the feeders
to the trunk line highway. AS we are
going at present, these state-aid roads
are being built in most towns only a
few hundred feet each year. and the
industries of Maine are suffering Sc
verely because this part of our de-
velopment is SO slow. The use of part
of our bond money for this purpose is
going to have a marvellous effect in
mediatelys increasing the mileage of
the secondary system in conjunction
with the main thoroughfares.
i FEDERAL AID
It's a curious thing, but ii seems
to me almost as If the last Legislature
had prophetic vision when they pro-
posed this amendment. / mean by this
that if they had not done il at this
particular time. we might lose part Of