The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1923-01-25
bond plan or another involving

bond plan or another involving
higher taxes and costs.
Prices of road work now are
on 1917 pre-war basis, the low
est on record and, experts pre-
dict. lower than future figures
likely during the present genera
ton.
Grading and gravel-surfacing
mileages will be the largest I'M
der the bond program and paw
ing will be built, as in the past
only where economy demands.
Heavy taxation of today Will
be relieved by the simple high
way financing proposal as out
outlays for permanent construc-
ton win be apportioned to fu-
ture years.
A like proposal from the mana
:. ger of a private business, Mr..
Babcock asserts, would win the
immediate approval of the direc-
tors and stockholders.
The sinking fund required by the
constitution has been carefully worked
out but the detailed figures would take
too much space here. :,
Only with highway bond funds VIII
it be possible to meet reasonable de-
mands. stop waste of money for ex-
cessively expensive maintenance and
give the highway user of today the
service and savings to which he is
entitled.
Nearly half of current highway
funds are going for right-of-way,
bridges, grading and other permanent
construction which will be used for rs,
so and even 100 years and it is unjust
to charge it all to any single year.
The bond plan will spread the cost
more equitably.
An extreme example of maintenance
waste is furnished by heavy traffic
trunk section which took an average
of s2,145 a mile for upkeep in 1929
and with unsatisfactory results. The
section is used by more than 1900 We
hicles daily, the traffic census shows.
Operation of the average motor We
hicle on this stretch cost at least II
cents a mile and a pavement would
easily reduce that cost to z cents.
Figuring conservatively and applying
the average for only 200 days in the
year, there was a possible cash saw
ing to users of oper $4,000 mile, ex-
elusive of state saving or maintenance.
The paving would cost not more than
$4,000 mile. No private business
concern would reject a proposition Of
offering a return of more than $4,000
a year on an investment of $50, O00.ps
On the trunk system are several, Sec
lions in this class roads which can=
not be kept up with gravel slirfacing
ut any outlay with continuace of the
rapid increase in traffic. hS
While Immediate paving of some
sections is, imperative, it must not be
inferred that all the bond money will
be used for pavement extensions. On
the contrary, under the bond plan the
long, mileages Of highway improve
ments will. be of grading and gravel
ing as in the past.
N Where. it will meet traffic require
ments, the gravel road is the best
road. 5ss
This covers the highway bond pro-
posals, except the reimbursement au-
thority. The latter is simply to give
all counties equal privileges, to sat-
isfy those which did not avail them
selves of it and as a result do not
enjoy the good roads common in coun-
ties which did take advantage of the
plan. g4ge
Any further information desired on
any phase of the subject will be given
by the highway department. 1t wants
the plan so thoroughly and universal
1y understood that every good citizen