The Ely miner., 1925-12-11
ROAD FUND USE NOW
BENEFITS THE MANY
HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS CUR
TAILED THIS YEAR BUT
SERVING LARGER NUM-
BERS OF USERS.

Minnesota's new highway pro
gram, now less than five years old
land half finished will be completed
when it's tenth milestone is passed,
f conditions are favorable and pres
ant hopes of the highway depart
ment are realized, according to
Commissioner Charles M. Babcock.
By the end of the year, he adds,
all new grades on trunk routes will
be surfaced, including number
started with county reimbursement
oond money which proved INSULT
Gent to carry through the work.
Thsse and other observations or
he good roads program that Mn
Babcock: is giving, to-. community
delegations callln~ to solicit early
improvements of different sections
of the system are summarized in a
h ghway bulletin.
"No promise ever was made to my
knowledge that the new program
would adequately improve the entire
7,G00-n1ile system in three or even
five years or even ten," says the
commissioner, !" but the department
now hopes to virtually complete the
~rogram by 1881.
"The average man regards the
road he uses most as the most inn
nortant in the world and to him its
| Improvement should come ahead of
all others. But oftentimes the fact
| is that other sections carrying larg-
er numbers are in greater need OF
building and have better claims to
attention. Still, there are few COM
munities more anxious to secure
highway improvements than this de,
partment is to make them.
81 am positive that the great
majority of Minnesota people wan.
rood roads and are wiling to pa,
for them. The highway department
has recommended better methods OF
fnancino to hasten these needle
improvements-be betterments demand.
ed by plain economy. The pro.
nosals would neither increase taxes
nor add to the expense of making
the improvements. Yet these nee
essary provisions have not been
made and the department is simply
going. ahead and doing the best II
can under the circumstances.
| practically all trunk highways
that have been graded under the new
program will be surfaced by the
end of the year. This means tn
final clearing up of county REIN.
bursement bond projects. In many
instances theb ond money met only
the cost of grading and threw up,
on the state the burden of surfac,
ing from current funds. Reimburse
ment bonds, which could be used
only within the counties of issue
put some improvements ten years
aheadt:of- the regular, order and de-
layed others of greater Importance
1t does not follow, however, that
any county bond money has been
squandered, but it is made plain
that such limitations should be omit.
ted that trunk funds may be put
where most needed.
"Unrestricted funds will enable
the department to relieve congestion
and reduce maintenance expenses or
routes now ov burdened, by max.
ing possible the Improvements Oh
paralleling routes and thus allowing
natural fiowage of traffic. Automo.
bile and truck owners, paying al
trunk highway bills, and other road
users will then be better served and
the general public better satisfied
with results obtained under the gooc
roads plan."
Many delegations express com;
plete satisfaction with results tc
date, including 1925 progress, ex-
cept that their particular sections
are awaiting attention.
The commissioner explains that
the improvement mileages this year
have not been as great as in form
er years, and any satisfaction is due
TO use of constructive money on
heavy travelled routes where it will
benefit larger numbers. Curtail.
nent of construction was forced by
shutting off of county reimburse
ment bond advances which the larg-
er auto tax and new gas tax in
come failed to offset, according to
Mr.. Babcock.