The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1938-01-20

we should purchase another one
of these machines. Then if we had
modern power patrol in each
district we should be able to take
care of our snow problem during.
the winter in reasonable length
of time and should be able to do
it without hiring trucks, tractors,
ETC., from contractors which has
been our major cost in snow re-
moval in the past.
County Aid Maintenance
"The county highway depart
ment has had charge of 379.8
miles of county aid roads during
this year. In the 1886 report I said,
II do not think that we can ex-
pect the routine and regravelling
costs to be below $75 to $85 per
mile on the average This year
they average about $86.
"This year our snow removal
costs on county aid roads have
increased about $4,000. This in
crease is due to two things. First,
snow removal on both county ard
state aid roads was more difficult
last year than the year before and
second, we were able to give the
county aid roads much better SER
vice than we had the year before
and service always costs money.
Year before last some county aid
roads had no snow blowing service
for as high as 80 days. This year
we were able to give much better
service than this with apportion-
ate increase in cost.
Construction -
"We undertook no construction
program this year. We have just
started a bridge on county aid
road in Charlestown township
just west of the village of SAM
born. This job is quite essential as
the old bridge was unsafe for the
heavy traffic which it had to
carry and has been posted for
load limit of three tons since be-
fore the county took it over in
1881. This job, if let on a contract
basis, would probably cost us
about $4,000. Under the WPA
project the county is furnishing all
material and the WPA is fur
nishing the labor. Estimated mat
erial cost on this job is $1,000.
Comments
'"The 1887 session of the Min
nesota legislature passed a law
making it possible, at the discre-
ton of the county board, for the
county board to turn back to the
townships one-half of the county's
gas tax allotment.
"After this law was passed, the
commissioners voted to have the
engineer and the commissioner
from the district concerned can
vass the townships explaining
thoroughly the law and how it
would effect that particular town
ship and 20 abide by the decision
Of the majority of the townships.
ships voted to leave the -..--.-
lures of this money in the hands
OF the county as is now being
done. Eleven of the townships
voted to have the money hack.
SIN June the county board pass
ed resolution to the effect that
in any township whose gas tax
allotment was more than 10 per
cent above the average for the
county and whose two year aver
age maintenance was over $4,000
that township would be required
to do one of two things: either
to take back enough roads to keep
the expenditure below the above
mentioned figure or to appropri-
ate an amount sufficient to pay
for the excess cost. Nothing has
beeen done about this because the
average expenditure for the years
1885 and 1886 affected only one or
two townships who have appeared
before the board and feel that
they are entitled to special con-
sideration.
"a comparison of the figures in
dicates that under the resolution
passed in June 1887 it will be nee