Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1922-01-13
URGES C0IJll
ROAD CO OPER ATI0f

BABel,o,1<c,K SAYS GET BIGGER RE.
! SUITS ON LOCAL ROADS WITH
PRESENT. FUNDS
| Morrison. county, with other counties
in the state, can secure complete sys-
| tenn Of good roads in the shortest
time and Hith least expense by adopt
ing q definite prog ram Of !. systematic.
improvement; pooling its road and
bridge funds with those Of the town
ships, and applying modern rmdbuild-
ing methods. .:Es5 .:s. :4, VS. So #
Charles NJ. Babcock, state highway
commissioner, this week made the fore
going statement, and recommended
call for an early convention in each
county at which county commissioners
and the supervisors from every town
ship may meet with the county high
way engineer to work out a definite
systematic plan Of county good roads
development. By ending common patch
work practices, The added, the proposed
plan will produce the greatest results
and biggest measure possible from the
money used. - = +. ~
Funds available for roads other than
trunk highways in Morrison county
last year exceeded 500, 1000, he said,
indicating the Importance Of prompt
action Good roads conventions are
being recommended even to counties
which already are operating with sue
cess under the plan. 49, 49, s, !:
tMinnesotat county and township
road funds combined are now consider
ably larger than the trunk highway
fund total = said Mr.. Babcock. tsWhile
the trunk mileage is less, it requires
more costly Improvements and main
tenance, and all things considered, local
road improvements should easily Keep
pace with those on the trunk routes. Ne
are suggesting the county roads con
ventions because we believe great &C
complishments possible from county
town cooperation. ;{ .s*-:
Commissioner Babcock made it plain
that the criticism is drawn by the prac-
tees Of long standing, and not by the
efforts Of che county or town road
authorities whom he credited with
earnest work to get results. .-..
County and town road officials in
convention with the highway engineer
should agree upon a definite plan of
road improvements based upon the &C
tual needs and Importance Of each
road and extending over three or more
years, said Mr.. Babcock. tThey
should then pool town with county
funds to carry it. out. Better methods,
heavier equipment and SO forth, and
the systematic plan can be combined
for economy and best results increased
satisfaction for taxpayers and even
more roads jobs for farmers. -,
Just as the trunk highway project
disregard county lines, so will town
lines disappear from the best county
plans, and as the state highway de-
partment advises and assists counties
with state aid and other work, 80 will
the counties help the townships"
Current funds in Minnesota last year
totalled $18,790,529 for local roads. en-.
tirely under county and town control,
and $780, 900 for trunk highways unz;
der the state department, according to
official figures by John 81. Mullen. 5:'.s
To SIC, 843,682 of county and So
862, $50 Of town tax was added $2,O84;-
coo Of state aid to make up the local
road total. That was exclusive Of
81, sos, 1914 Of street and road funds in
the cities and villages outside Of St.
Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth. Motor
vehicle taxes Of about $5,750,O00
and federal aid Of $2,s40, 900 represent
ed the trunk total, aside from reim-.
bursement bond funds estimated at
$8,250,0O0 voted by counties under laws
no longer in effect.
$50 it is plain" said Mr.. Mullen,
that the great sums raised for local
road work should be well used; also
that the Babcock plan is mainly q farm
er's road plan, the so-called farm. road
funds exceeding the trunk funds even
insl921 when the big part Of the bond
money was used.
County Auditor McNairy believes
| Mr.. Babcock plan a very good one as
a general proposition but he doubts
whether the plan could be worked out
satisfactorily in Morrison county at
present on account Of the great yaria-.
tion in the amount of road taxes 1ev--
led by the townships. He states, how
ever, that the present system, which is
but a program ofsexpensive patchwork
for which there is nothing to show,
should be supplanted by some plan
whereby a real consistent program Of
roadwork will be carried out. Few
townships have proper road building
| or maintenance machinery, he stated,
and If the work were handled through
the county aud county machinery used,
it could be done better and quicker.