Daily Kennebec journal., 1922-08-22
STATE HIGHWAYS
BEING DRAGGED
into POLITICS
Many Resent This At
tempt by the Demo-
cratic Leaders
A Summing Up of Some of the
Reasons for this Resentment
and Pointing to Constructive
Work That Has Been Done

uAo OAAtAH6 " Sl1 uSllNC
Work That Has Been Done
Mr.. Pattangall, the Democratic
candidate for Governor, is undoubt-
edly making strenuous efforts to dis
credit the present State Highway
Commission. In his speeches he has
omitted no occasion to strike at it.
One Of the blows he aimed was crit
icism of the State Highway Commits
sion for something which it did not
do. Readers of the Journal viii re
call the signed statement of the
Commission denying Candidate Pat
tangalls charge with respect to a
highway in the town OF Wilton, but
have not read, so far as known, any
correction by Mr.. Pattangan.
The attempt to drag our State
highway matters into politics is a
new one and has aroused a good deal
Of comment. Those who have ad-
mired the clean and business like way
in which the road construction in
Maine has been kept clear Of political
plums, of graft, Of favoritism and
that sort Of thing deeply resent this
of the Democratic leaders, and are
freely expressing their objections.
contributor, who has investigat-
cd the situation, has the following to
say, which affords a pretty clear
idea of the situation:
when Maine newspaper de-
manded that he offer constructive
suggestions Mr.. Pattangau said he
had done so but would repeat:
I would turn that department in
side out and fire them all, and |
would like to know what Governor
Baxter is going to do about it," Mr..
Pattangall did not divulge the means
he would use in accomplishing this
overturn.
$4,000 -AMiIe Highway
He has charged that it costs $50, 900
a mile to construct Maine roads. He
arrived at this figure by simple
progressive method. Throughout
the State he declared the Highway
Commission had expended $1,000 for
one-third of mile Of highway in
Wilton. BY multiplying $1,000 by
three he attained S51 900 and added
$4,000 more on general principles 1t
has not mattered that Colonel Aver.
Chairman of the Highway Commits
sion, Informed Mr.. Pattangall that
the commission did not build the Will
ton highway. and that it was close to
a mile instead of only a third Of a
mile, and that this job was of the
type of the most difficult of city street
construction With a concrete side
walk and extensive retaining walls,
and that the voters of the town Of
Wilton voted the money to pay the
bill. 1t has not mattered that the
average cost per mile of 1000 miles
of Maine road built since 1918 has
been exactly S1.S1219.
Mr.. Pattangall continues to shout.
'$Go."oo a m4i"," tliut ~ ,tp"~n I
mention the Wilton highway any
nore,)
All Gravel Roads
1t does not matter TO Mr. Pattan-
gall that some roads Of the State
must he macadam TO stand the wear
from great numbers of vehicles. 1t
does not matter that the average cost
Of maCadam and gravel roads in 1914
with ten years of maintenance would
be Sl5,5S5.60 for macadam and $l7,-
coils for gravel 1t does not mat
ter that gravel roads are frequently
impa sSable in the Spring.
Mr.. pattangall says he would build
all gravel roads,
1t is we'll to note here that 81 per
nf bn IL
Maine since 1918 have been the gravel
surface
Cost Of Administration
Mr.. Pattangall further berates the
department because, he says, a great
proportion OF the money handled by
the Highway Commission does not go
into highways but into administra-
ton.
In Governor BaXter's first year,
1921. more than % per cent Of the
money went into construction and
maintenance and less than per cent
into administration.
But under Governor Curtis in 1915
the administration expense was 6
and 10 per cent and in 1916 was 6
and 9-10 per cent. 1t has steadily
decreased under Republican admin
istra tiun.
OF Interest to Every Voter
The highway question is a ques-
tion that is of interest to every tax
payer, voter and resident of the State
of Maine.
We hear the suggestion often that
the State should do more for the
country roads. We will all agree that
it would be fine to have all Of the
roads improved. if it were possible to
do this at once.
We have many cities and towns in
this state which have celebrated
their centennial anniversary but
proba bly, not one Of these cities or
towns has yet solved the problem Of
improving all its roads. The State,
on the other hand. has only interest
cd itself in road Improvement for a
brief period Of twenty years and not
until 1914, or during the last eight
years, mas any systematic effort been
made by the State toward road i'm
provement. If we lock back, say ten
years, we must all cOncede that all of
the roads which today we call state
highways could then have been prop
Crly called country roads. If that
premise is true, are they not still
country roads, but improved coun-
try roads? Take. for example. the
road between Gardiner and Bruins
wick, which today is improved state
highway. Only FIVE years ago that
WAS one Of the worst country roads TO
be found in the State. Practically ev-
cry mile of improved State highway
was in the same category before the