Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-11-10
Better Roads in State
Continued from Page One)

ticularly to the vote in September,
| 1919, on the question of amending the
constitution so as to increase the
States bonded Indebtedness for State
highways from 100000 to $780,
| 100000 and to the vote of September
of the present year whereby the peo-
pie stated in no uncertain terms that
they desired the completion Of the
system of State highways and that
the bonds voted for that purpose
should be used for that purpose SOLE
lily. You will remember that the vote
! in September, 1919. on this matter
was carried by about a five to one
majority. and the vote last Septem-
Der, while small, was decisively in
favor of the completion of the State
highway system.
ut may be stated by some that last
September's vote was not fair eX-
preston of the people of the State
because the vote was small. I will
confess that ] somewhat had that
| thought in mind until one Of the
ablest men in the State said to me
The size of the vote does not count
In nv opinion a vote at a special cleo
ton indicates the sentiment of the
people who have taken the trouble to
inform themselves upon the matters
to be voted on and have taken the
trouble to cast their votes. / am
sorry the full membership of the
Highway Commission is not present
tonight. for | would like to state
within their hearing that believe the
vote last September can be construed
as an endorsement of the work OF the
Commission Certainly If the vote
had been in favor Of the question
submitted, the commissioners would
have felt that the people We're dis
satisfied with what they had &C
complished in the past.
ut seems to me further that this
mandate from the voters to complete
our trunk lines substantiates the
statement so often made by the COM
mission that the five and one-half
per cent Of our highways comprised
in the State highway system and
upon which live over seventy per cent
of our people, is the most important
mileage in our entire highway system
and probably fifty per cent of all
highway traffic is on this mileage OF
road. One other fact I believe points
to the same cepclusion: 1t is that
some $50 miles OF our State highway
lsystem have been constructed through
the expenditure Of State aid money
This work has been initiated by the
municipal officers Of the towns IN
which it has been done without any
urging on the part of the Highway
Commission. Indeed. many towns
since the passage of the third class
highway law have applied for per-
mission to expend the third class
money on this State highway system
When questioned by the Commission
as to their desire to eXpend third
class money on the State highway
system the reply has invariably been
That is the most important mileage
of road in our town; it carries more
traffic than any other road; it is of
greater benefit to the general pub
lie The law, however. prohibits the
expenditure of third class money on
State highways.
Briefly, the work of the Commits
sion may be summarized as follows:
1909 miles of road have been recon-
structed from the time the Commits
sion was organized until the first day
| of last January. You may possibly
visualize this accomplishment more
easily when say that this mileage OF
road would cover the distance from
Houlton. sMe, to Omaha, Neb.. or to
Galveston Texas. OF this completed
road 445 miles were built as State
highway, 1113 miles as State aid road
and substantially $50 miles as third
class and special resolve roads. The
gross expenditure for this road work
was s12,333.000.
During the last four years substan-
TALLY 100 bridges have been rebuilt.
at cost of 1881, 100000.
| During the last six years the Com
mission has had charge of tho mainte-
nance of a little more than 1900 miles
of read. including thes improved and
unimproved State highway and State
aid highway systems. Gross eXpendi-
lures during this period Of '1ainte-
rance have totalled 1888, 100000. About
two-ffths OF this amount hap been
furnished by the cities and towns and
the balance by the State.
The gross expenditure for road ana
bridge work under the direction of the
Commission up to December 81. last. Is
,s16993.395.47.
Now just word about the roads the
Commission has built for there has
seemed to be considerable m;sunder-
standing with respect to this point. I
believe the Highway Commission fully
realizes and always has realized that
its first duty to the citizens of this
state is to provide a reasonably ade-
quate system f, r highway transportS-
ton as quickly and as economical lily
as possible. The Commission certain
ly has worked along those lines The
| Commission is often asked WHY it does
mot build more gravel roads Eighty
per cent of all the improved roads so
far built have been gravel surfaced.
Except in a few instances where the
Commission has been convinced that
a gravel road would not carry the
traffic, that is the type of surface that
has been employed. / am sorry to say
that in many instances the Commits
| sion has built gravel surfaced read
where it was reasonably sure when the
work was undertaken that a gravel
surface would not carry the traffic
more than two or three seasons. This
is not the fault of the Commission; it
is the fault of public sentiment. This
association has always been free to
1 CT act 10 ho oh, ,is.-t Tor,