The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-11-20

of roads throughout the whole United States with very
few exceptions. entirely the control of local
authorities Of the various counties in the
many of the eastern southern states
within the county constituted the governing
oafd of the county and determined the location
and the expenditure of the thereon most of
the western and of the and northeastern
states this work done by board county commits
soners road supervisors and only very few cases
was there any attempt made to cooperate with the
'oinng counties in the maintenance of
system of roads which would travel between the
'arlous counties and various states.
This system naturally resulted in each Justice of the
county commissioner other local official
tempting to the lions share of the counys money
to be spent the roads within his particular jursc
There did not exist we'll improved
highways One county being fortunate enough have
money available for the building of good roads, would
construct and maintain good highway that
while those adjacent being less fortunately financed
ess inclined to improvement. would have little than
a trail traversng that county
The general of automobiles by tourists and for
business purposes naturally resulted in demand
proved roads, Automobile associations tourist bureaus
highway associations and various other organizations
sprung into being for the purpose of encouraging
ematic expenditure of the funds the various states
and counties and finally the Federal realiz
bear upon the various states to cooperate practical
manner in program of national road building, provided
revenue and through its bureau of other depart
ments has within the last few
ing the aid of practically every its program with
The result that today there have been
now under construction, many highways compre
hensive system which when completed will make every
section of the United States easily accessible by autoo
biles.
In order to carry out this program. the
have organized State Highway Departments having juris
dicton certain classes of roads necessary
comprehensive system of highways The Colorado high
law enacted in 1921, is very similar highway
ews of other progressive states
At the time the state highway law passed
and the highway department created bond issue of five
million dollars provided to be expended by the high
way department upon the highways of Colorado In ad
1ition this fund there annually paid into this de-
partment huge of money from a number of other
sources; particularly the half mill levy provided
for in 1914 arid the one-haf mill levy provided for in
1919 from the tax gasoline and from motor vehicle
licenses.
Some of the immense program of the state high
way department may be had by referring to the expend
lures of department through the last two In
1928 the budget provided for expenditure of approx
maely s34OOOO0 and in 1924, of S4l725000. of which
mount approximately onethird derived from Federal
ed third from the state highway bonds and the
naming one-thrd from gasoline tax, one-mi levy and
other This spent in the construction
roads and the maintenance of S525 miles OF high
way of which 226 miles within Gunnison county
being only other counties in the State having
greater mileage than this county 1t has been the
pose of this program the effort Of highway de-
oartment conjunction with the Federal bureau to
struct maintain system of highways the Con-
tinenta Divide in the system of transcontinenta high
ways Naturally that road preferred by the tourists
should and would be the receiving the most favorable