426 ANNUAL REPOliT OF THE Off. Doc. 



Commissionor, and that these roads shall be built within a period 

 of ten years. The apitropriation for the roads shall be distributed 

 in proportion to the number of miles of road in each county. 



We are in favor of a Township Koad Law that will require the 

 State to approjH'iate 50 cents on each dollar raised in cash by the 

 Township, not more, however, than |20.00 to be given by the State 

 to any one mile. The appointment of Road Masters shall be made 

 optional with the supervisors. 



We also demand a law to tax railroads and corporate property 

 locally for road purposes. 



We also favor that the annual assessment made by the assessors 

 of the various townships throughout the State be made in the month 

 of April, instead of in the Fall of the year, as is now the present 

 system. 



Inasmuch as real estate in Pennsylvania now pays sixteen mills 

 tax on the dollar, while corporate and personal property pays only 

 thr^e mills, we earnestly demand as a step towardb securing 

 equalization of taxes, that the State shall pay the minimum salary 

 of public school teachers for the minimum term. 



We would recommend an amendment to what is known as the 

 •'State Road Law," wherein it provides for joint action of the 

 State, County and Townships, and let the State take the whole 

 responsibility of making the State Roads, and distributing whatever 

 money the State feels able to pay to the dilferent counties in 

 accordance with the miles of road in said counties in a similar 

 manner by which the school appropriation is distributed, which 

 would be some relief to the over-burdened taxation on real estate 

 and would not be as complicated and would hasten the construction 

 of our roads, for at present it takes mouths for all the parties to 

 agree. 



In conclusion, Agriculture being the basis of all prosperity, which 

 is proven by all past history, we assert as follows: 



Any nation that looks after the agricultural interests of the 

 country has prospered on every hand, but whenever the agricultural 

 interests have been neglected, retrogression and downfall have been 

 the result. Therefore, in the opinion of this Committee, every effort 

 should be jjut forth to foster our agricultural interests. Every 

 dollar advanced for au agricultural education will return an hundred 

 fold. We therefore believe that this end cannot be served better 

 than to use every effort to promote the greater development of our 

 State College and our Experimental Station, our Farmers Institutes, 

 Schools of Agriculture &c., so that our State College, of which 

 we are so justly proud, and which institution is doing such a grand 

 and noble work throughout our State, casting its influence on every 

 hand, will continue to blossom as the rose, and favorably compare 

 with our sister states; yea, and with the granting of the State 

 ap])ropriation that is justlj' and fairly due this grand and noble 

 institution, will we place our grand old Commonwealth of Penusyl 

 vania among the leading states of our Union. 



(Signed) 



A. J. KAHLER, Chairman, 

 H. G. McGOWAN, 

 JASON SEXTON. 

 MATTHEW RODGERS, 

 : S. S. BLYHOLDER. 



