Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-08

SLlGt Engineer.
sional word of advice from some
county commissioner.
BY 1905 the State Board of Trade,
under the leadership of the late Gov
ernor William T. Haines and Hon.
orable E. 3. Winslow of Portland.
who was later member of Governor
Plaisted's council, was instrumental
in securing the passage of a law
which provided for a thorough study
OF the highway problem of the State.
The bill. which later became q law.
was introduced into the legislature
and sponsored by Honorable William
j. LanlSan, now member of the
State Highway Commission. This
law provided for the appointment of
a commissioner of highways who
could be consulted by the municipal
officers and the county commission
ers with respect to road problems
and whose duty it was to make a
thorough study of all highway mat
ters and to report his findings to
the succeeding legislature. This re-
port really laid the foundation for
all Of the road improvement which
has since taken place.
The legislature of 1907 passed a
new State aid law and materially in
creased the appropriation for assist
ing towns in this line of work. This
law placed the supervision of all
State aid work in the hands of the
State Highway Commissioner and
authorized the employment of train
ed road builders as inspectors. The
county commissioners continued to
designate State aid roads under this
law as they did under the original
act of 1901.
While the county commissioners
exercised good judgment in the Sc
lection of State aid roads, many of
the roads originally designated being
now included in the system of State
highways, there was a lack of con-
tiguity of designated State aid roads
and many gaps of one, two or three
miles occurred between designated
roads. Some of the readers of this
article who have been interested In
road improvement since its lncep-
ton will remember that a map pub
lished in 1908, showing the State aid
roads then designated in the various
cities and towns, was characterized
by many people as the "ansle worm
map of roads," on account of its
many disconnected sections running
in devious directions.
In an effort to provide connected
improved roads, the legislature IN
1909 passed a statute authorizing the
State Commissioner of Highways TO
use any surplus funds after proV1d-
ing State aid requested by the towns
in constructing connecting links pc
tween State aid roads as then lald
out. This really was the Inception
of the trunk line system OF the state
and several sections of. road were
built during 1909, 1910, 1911 and 1917
under this provision. the most or
these sections being located in YORK
County on the road between k1ttery
and Portland, on what was then and
is now the gateway to the State for
highway traffic. In 1911 the legis-
lature laid out trunk line from
K:ttery to Portland, TO Gray, Lewis
ton, winthrop, Augusta, WaterVliie'
Bangor, Old Town, Mattawamkeag,
Molunkus, Sherman, Patten. crystal
Island Falls, Houlton, Pressure Isle
Caribou, Van Buren,, to Fort Kent.
By the same act it was declared that
the following route was of equal I'M
pcrtance and was designated as a
part of the trunk line: The road
from Portland to Brunswick. Tops
ham. Bowdoinham, Richmond, Gard
iner, Hallowell and Augusta. TINS
legislation was secured by Hon. Phil
in J. Deering, who was for eight
years a member of the State High.
way Commission and for several
years it's chairman.
The legislature in March. 1872,
submitted a resolve to amend the
constitution SO as to provide Tor a
bond issue for State highways. This
resolve was adopted by the people
at the general election in September,
1912. and was declared a part OF the
constitution by the legislature on
January %, 1913.
At the 1918 session Of the legisla-
ture a new State highway law was
passed, which with minor amend
ments has been in effect since July
of that year. From that time 10 tne
present the States interest In hlgh-
way impr ovement has been looked
after by State Highway commas
sion of three members. Each com
missioner holds office for term or
three years and the term OIL uHe
member expires each year. In tnls
way it has been possible to hold a
more or less continuous policy IN
the administration Of highway work.
The Commission is non-political in
its personnel and no better evidence
Of this fact can be brought out than
IN state that during the admlnlstra-
ton of a Democratic governor the
Commission had a chairman VINO
was Republican in politics. elected
by his two Democratic associates
and at the present time. under a
Republican administration. the
chairman of the Commission Is
Democrat and holds this position by
the votes Of his two Republican as
sociates. e
If we can agree that the work OF
the Commission has been successiui
in it's larger aspects, the TACT tliae
tho commissions operations have
been divorced absolutely from po-
iitical control and political consider
alton must be given some credlt ior