The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-11-30
State Highway Engineer Gives
Figures on Road Construction.
Takes No Stand on Bond Issue
Proposed in State.
MUCH SPENT ON DIRT ROADS
Records for Last Seven Years
Given by NJ w. Watson.
He Urges SyStematized Road
Program for Kansas.

. Opponents of a state highway sys-
tenn for Kansas and a program of
: road construction and Improvement at
state exper SCI who base their opposi-
ton on the premise that sit would
cost toe much have been confronted
with some interesting figures from the
office of NJ w. Watson, state highway
engineer, on whit Kansas has spent
on roads during the past seven years,
with no safe system or coherent pro-
f, gram, and with little or NO general
or lasting improvement to the high
ways of the state,
Watson takes no stand either for
or against bond issue, such as is be-
ing recommended by the Automobile
Owners association of Kansas, in the
figures which he has compiled from
the records of the state highway COM
mission
Don't get me wrong on this he
. said in discussing the figures. no
demned a bond issue for road con-
struction. That is another story"
r Much Spent on Dirt Roads.
The tread of the statistics which he
has collected is TO show how much
Kansas has spent on her dirt roads
during the past seven years-and
what she might have secured for the
same amount or less, raised by bond
issue or special levies, spent onSa pro-
gram of road Improvement
state tax commission for the years
1915. 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920 and
1921
He has discovered that the town
ship levies N all the townships of the
state for road ard bridge purposes,
during that seven-year period, have
totaled s25.2OS.S34. The township
levies have been increasing, steadily,
$2.536,526 in 1915, to S4.S62,5S in
1921.
During the same period. the levies
made by the counties for road and
bridge work have totaled SS5. III.
The increase m these levies has been
rather more neven than in the levies
made by the townships. altho the gem
eral trend has been steadily upward,
as in the case of the township levies.
Comb with the S25,206,S3 of
the township levies, the township and
county levies combined, have totaled
500. 9,545.
But there have Been other con-
tributing factors There has been the
money collected from the licensing of
automobiles. of which~a portion has
been expended upon road dragging
and upkeep, approximately $1,000, 600.
Total of 100000 in Poll Tax.
And the poll tax which is either col
lected or worked out. in the counties
of the state, amounts to approximate
ly 100000 per year, or a total OF
S2.S00,0eO for the seven-year period
All these sources of revenue, totaled,
reach the sum of $40, ,545-which
Kansas has spent upon her roads, thru
the administration of county ana
township officials during the past
seven years.
IF we were to suggest" Watson
saws, ito some of the people of KAN
sas and probably to some of the Off
Gals in charge of road and bridge
affairs, the issuance of bonds or the
making of special levies for the con-
struction of a system of highways in
a period of seven years, to total
amount of s7O,OO0.O0O, they would
be startled and would throw up their
hands at the enormous expense.
Would Serve IS Per Cent of Traffic.
"Yet, if we had created a system |
atized road program with a $70.0O0,- |
600 bond issue or special levy to be |
utilized in the same period of time, |
together with the federal aid funds, !
we could unquestionably have pro- |
duced a system of roads that would
adequately serve SIS per cent of the |
traffic of the state of Kansas" |