The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1922-01-18
Move to Improve
Feeder Highways
ROAD BUILDING WORK STAN
DARDIZATION SOUGHT IN CALL
FOR COUNTY CONVENTIONS.

Standardization of road building
work in Minnesota, placing construc-
ton of secondary and feeder highways
on a modern basis, thereby ending
patchwork practises and providing for
building that will fit in with trunk
highway construction, is the object
sought in a call for county good roads
conventions throughout Minnesota, c..
M. Babcock, state highway commits
sioner, said today.
The communication went out to
county boards, calling for the pooling
of township and county funds with de-
finite planning for improvement work
on local roads. Mr.. Babcock in issu-
ing the call said that townships and
counties are spending twice as much
on local roads as Minnesota is spend
ing on trunk highways.
Cooperative Agreement Urged
The statement from the state high
way department asked for conventions
in every county. At these meetings
county commissioners and township
supervisors, in consultation with the
county highway engineers, will be en-
abled to make definite programs for
systematic improvement OF the local
road system in each county. Town
road and bridge funds should be pooled
with those of the county, he said, and
cooperative agreement reached that
modern road building methods, includ-
ing the use of the right equipment,
may be adopted, all toward making
sure of maximum road benefits from
the funds expended. ..--.
John H. Mullen, deputy commission
er and chief highway engineer, joined
the commissioner in predicting that
greatly increased benefits for the tax
payers and general public will follow.
In support of the contention that the
best administrative methods are neces-
sary in all road building, Mr.. Mullen
quoted the 1921 figures showing $19,-
100000 for county town road purposes
and SS,69OO0 for the trunk routes.
The local road funds in the three veal
thiest counties in the state were: st.
Louis, So 1921, 961; Ramsey, $1,018,8 1903;
Hennepin, $706,171.
Lack of System Deplored
The trunk fund, including reimburse
ment bond money, he added, was less
than the aggregate of county-toWn-
ship funds.
The main purpose Of the proposed
departure, Commissioner Babcock ex-
planned, is to put local road work on
a business basis and to end the patch
work practises of long standing.
"A big fault with county and town
road building" he said, "has been the
lack of system, condition which has
greatly handicapped the efforts of hum
dreds of local road officials striving to
obtain the best possible results on the
roads. Those officials will agree, l
am confident and unite in hearty CO.
operation under the new plan.
development of trunk routes as
making up state system of highways
-disregarding county and other lines
on all projects, save those IN which
federal aid regulations necessitated
cutoffs-is one of the policies that has
received popular approval. 1t can be
applied to the improvement of second
airy roads by county planning without
regard to township lines. /
Plans for County Aid
"Another feature which has operat-
ed satisfactorily can be annlied. For
several years the state highway de-
partment has been advising and as
sisting the counties on more important
undertakings. notably on. state aid
roads. County aid may be established
likewise Every county in the state
employs a highway engineer who, can
give expert service on town road pro-
iects now that the state has taken over
the trunk highways which formerly
took much of his time. By uniting on
road plans, the most economical met
hods can be used and even more jobs
can be arranged for farmers seeking
seasonal employment /
Mr.. Mullen contended that under the
proposed scheme local road improve
ment will keep pace with that on the
trunk highway system. while the
trunk mileage is considerably less than
that of the secondary SYSTEM he said
"the trunk routes require far more
costly improvements and maintenance.
Then there also are the larger funds i
provided for the local roads" !
Taxes last year brought 10,843,682
of county. and S6,S62,560 of township
funds and $2,084,OO0 of state aid for
local road purposes, he said, besides
$685. 94 of city and village street
and road money, outside of the totals
for Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth.
The regular state trunk highway :,
funds were made up of approximately
SIS, $50 900 of motor vehicle tax revenue
and S2,84O,OOO of federal aid, he said.
With about $8,250,OOO Of county reim-
bursement bond money voted under
laws no longer in effect, he pointed !
out, the trunk total is less than that
for county town road purposes.
Resolution Tn 0uSt