The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-06-01

lie Ill purpose FOdU uOlidr ana
hundred motor vehicles this year are
adopted as the basis affording the
clearest and easiest comparisons.
Local Roads Gain Most.
Aside from the showing of how
the use of the roads has grown
nearly four times as fast as the
funds for road improvements and
maintenance, two other important
facts are apparent from the, COM
parative figures:
Local road funds this year are
the largest of record and six times
bigger than those of ten years ago.
Funds for use on the trunk high
ways which carry four fifths of The
traffic a tonnage, are only fourth
of the total road funds in the state
and less this year than the average
for the last ten years.
The number of motor vehicles
owned in the state increased stead
lily, it is noted, and ran ahead of the
advances in aggregate road funds
particularly during the last five
years.
Reflects New Demands.
For each road dollar in 1914
there was $1.63 in 191S-fve years
later-and for every 100 cars and
trucks in 1914 there were more
than go in 1918.
Motor vehicles extended the driv-
ing range and increased the. use of
highways, the bulletin points out,
and demands for better roads be-
came more general and insistent.
Sensing this condition, Charles M.
Babcock, state highway commission
err, presented in 1919 the plan to
require motor vehicle owners to beaF
a larger part of the cost of improg-
ing and maintaining the roads. The
legislature then authorized counties
to issue road bonds for reimburse
ment from the proposed trunk nigh
way fund of motor vehicle tax
money and there was a big advance
in annual OUTLAWS on main roads.
Those on the local roads, however,
went up almost proportionately, ac-
cording to the official records.
New highway plan expenditures
on the trunk or so-called Babcock
roads have been largely under the
county reimbursement laws. The
figures disclose that the largest in
creases in road funds have been in
those over which the voters and
taxpayers have closest control
county, township and city-vilIage
road and bridge tax levies.
Trunk Funds Reduced.
That the spirit of Good Roads
Amendment No. l for the improve
ment of state highway system re-
CARELESS of county or other lines
has not been carried out is reflected
in the comparative figures. it is
held most apparent on the showing
that counties have figured promin-
emily in the financing and locating
of the large part of improvements
under the new state program. This
is charged with making disconnected
betterments, where state policy
would have resulted in systematic
Improvement of the trunk routes in
the order to best serve the largest
number of highway users.
That no more improvements can
be made this year on the trunk sys-
tenn is made plain on the showing
that while increasing traffic is fast
running up maintenance expenses.
there is little more than half as
much money available this year as
was used last year.
On the other hand, local road
funds have been steadily increased,
in spite of the great reduction in
demands on them when the state
assumed the Improvement and up
keep of the main roads which al
bod foEat, N h.or ~ e l.
funds.
Less Money This Year.
Minnesota's total road funds less
this year than any since 1919, the
bulletin adds that further reductions
may be expected as adequate con-
struction is completed and expenses
narrowed down to maintenance.
The figures are held to indicate,
however, that the cut must come in
local funds; that trunk expendit-
ures must go higher before annual
OUTLAWS can be effectively reduced.
The large increases in road ex-
penditures and especially the big
outlay in 1921 are attributed in
directly to the Inauguration of the
Babcock plan, and directly to county
oCGiOh' lhC COuitIcS lSSuCu a large
aggregate of reimbursement bonds
now charged to the trunk highway
fund and also in many instances
continued to make the same or
even larger road and bridge levies
after the state had taken over the
main highways on which the big
percentage of local expenditures
had been made previously.
Incidentally, the bulletin gives re-
cent year comparisons with Oregon
That good roads state made highway
expenditures of $4,054 per nile of
trunk routes against $2,242 in Min
nesota; $18.42 against $500 per
$1,000 of assessed valuation, and
$23.29 against $716 per capita
population. The figures are for
1921-Minnesota's< biggest road
building year to date.