430 ANNUAL REPORT OP THE Off. Doc. 



ing a system of State highways which would mean so much to the 

 rural Commonwealth, there should be little opi»()sition to such a 

 plan. When the amendment is .submitted to the popular vote, as 

 it will be required after favorable action by the next Legislature, 

 there should be no hesitancy in its adoption by a large majority of 

 the voters of the Commonwealth. Of the provisions of the Act the one 

 likely to mec-t with most serious criticism is Section S. "Whenever 

 in the construction, reconstruction, maintenance, and repair of any 

 of the State highwaj^s it shall appear to the Commissioner that any 

 part or portion of a State highAvay as now defined and described in 

 this Act, is dangerous or inconvenient to the traveling public in its 

 present location either by reason of grades, dangerous turns, or 

 other local conditions, or that the expense to the Commonwealth in 

 the construction, building, rebuilding, maintenance and repair there- 

 of would be too great or unreasonable, and could be materially re- 

 duced or lessened by a divergence from the road or route, the Com- 

 missioner is hereby empowered to divert the course or direction of 

 same and h > may diverge from the line or route of same as herein 

 described in such direction or directions as in his discretion may 

 seem best in order to correct said danger or inconvenience or lessen 

 the cost to the Commonwealth: Provided, that the said Commis- 

 sioner shall first submit a plan of the proposed change to the Gover- 

 nor and the same shall be approved by him.'' 



I fear when the day arrives when actual work begins in construct- 

 ing these highways as designated by the route number, many will 

 contain dangerous turns, too steep grades or the expense to the State 

 in their construction will be too great, particularly to the person 

 living some distance from the described route who, by raising a kick, 

 would hope to have it pass by his farm or door. 



This act carries with it an appropriation of three million dollars 

 for the two years for constructing and repairing State highways, 

 also one million dollars for building or reconstructing State aid 

 highways, the State paying onh' 50 per cent, of the cost of construc- 

 tion and 50 per cent, of cost of repairing State aid highways. 

 Should the provisions of this act be fully realized and the golden 

 period dawn of this network of roads constructed extending over 

 the State connecting the county seats and principal cities of the 

 Commonwealth, with all the State aid highways the total number of 

 miles would not exceed ten thousand miles or about 10 per cent, of 

 the public roads in the State. What of the remaining 90 per cent, 

 of public roads? Surely the local communities will have something 

 to do in the way of road construction for manj', many years to 

 come. 



Another Act passed by the Legislature of 1911 is known as the 

 "dirt road act," which provides that each township shall receive 

 annually from the State fifty per centum of the total amount of 

 road tax collected by such township, as shown by the sworn state- 

 ment of the board of township supervisors, contained in the annual 

 report furnished to the State Highway Commissioner on or before 

 the first day of January in each year as hereinafter provided for: 

 Provided, that no township shall receive in any one year, more than 

 twenty dollars for each mile of township road in said township; 

 the sum of one million dollars or so much thereof as may be neces- 



