

DETROIT. MICHIGAN, APRIL, 1907. 



Michigan Road flakers' Association. 



W. W. Todd, Jackson, President; P. T. Colgrove, Hastings, First Vice-P resident; C. C. Rosenbury, Bay City, Second' 

 Vice-President ; E. N. Hmes, Detroit, Secretary; E. B. Smith, Detroit, Treasurer. 



Board of Governors: Royal T. Taylor, Cheboygan; D. L. Case, Detroit; Frank F. Rogers, Lansing; W. W. 

 Trayes, Hancock. 



DIGEST OF MICHIGAN'S CON- 

 DITIONS AND ROAD LAWS. 



1. Area. .">s.!)15 square miles. 



:: Population. 2.530.010. Census of 1904. 



3. Miles of highway. r>7.979. 



4. GEOLOGICAL FKATURES RELAT- 



ING TO ROAD CONSTRUCTION: 

 a. Configuration, rolling- and hilly, 

 li. Climate, average annual precipita- 

 ti.m. 24-:;o inches. Winter temper- 

 ature-, severe. 



c. Supply of road material. Fairly 

 abundant and well distributed. 



5. GENERAL SYSTEM OF ROAD AD- 



MINSTRATION: 



The township system i> in force generally 

 in Michigan. Each township is divided into 

 road district-. 



The amount of road tax to be levied is 

 voted annually at the township meeting, and 

 the elector- < voter- > decide h<>w much shall 

 be paid in money, not to exceed 1-2 of 1 per 

 cent, and how much in labor, not to exceed 1 

 per cent. There i- also a poll tax. Townships 

 may abolish the -tatute labor law and collect 

 all road taxes in cash. 



Some counties of Michigan have passed 

 from the town-hip to the county system, 

 which permits of raising '.I mills on the dol- 

 lar. In these counties. th leading roads of 

 the county are in charge of the county road 

 commissioners, but all less important roads 

 are left in care of the townships. 



>.\TI-: OF FIRST LEGISLATION 



CREATING A STATE HIGHWAY 



DEPARTMENT: 



In 1901, the legislature of Michigan author- 

 ized the appointment of a commission to in- 

 cite road conditions in Michigan, and rec- 

 ommend a plan for a general system nf high- 

 way improvement. The final result of the in- 

 vestigation thus set on foot, was the passage 

 of a law establishing the office of State High- 

 way Commissioner. This law took effect July 

 1, 1905. 



7. PRESENT ORGANIZATION OF THE 

 STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT: 



The work in Michigan is in charge of the 

 State Highway Commissioner, who is ap- 

 pointed by the governor for a term of four 

 -. The commissioner may appoint as an as- 

 sistant, a deputy, who shall be a competent 



civil engineer. The necessary office force is 

 employed by the commissioner. 

 8. DUTIES AND AUTHORITY OF THE 

 OFFICERS OF THE DEPART- 

 MENT: 



The duties of the commissioner include the 

 investigation of existing conditions, and of 

 means and methods of improving them: the 

 dissemination of information concerning high- 

 way of improvement: and the preparation of 

 maps, plans, specifications, etc. 



The commissioner has under his control, as 

 described under No. 10. the money paid by 

 the state as "rewards." 



li DATE OF FIRST LEGISLATION FOR 

 STATE AID: 



July 1. 1905. 



10. ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF THE 

 STATE AID LAW. AND METHOD 

 OF PROCEDURE UNDER THE 

 LAW: 



The following, taken from section 9 of the 

 Michigan "state reward road law," outlines 

 the manner in which rewards are secured. 



"Whenever any township shall tile notice 

 with the State Highway Department, through 

 it- township board, or if under the township 

 ,-y-tem. the township commissioners or over- 

 seers of highways, or when any county com- 

 missioners in counties under the county road 

 law shall do likewise, notifying the depart- 

 ment that they have made arrangements to 

 improve a mile or more of public wagon road 

 by building a clay-gravel, a gravel, a stone- 

 gravel, a gravel-stone or a macadam road, and 

 ask for an allotment of state reward, and shall 

 tile with the department a profile of the* road 

 to be improved, made out by a competent sur- 

 veyor, and make application for cut-line plans 

 and general specifications, it shall be the duty 

 of the State Highway Commissioner to enter 

 such application in the order in which it was 

 received, and provided there are any funds in 

 the state treasury not yet allotted, appropriat- 

 ed for state reward roads, he shall make the 

 allotment, and when any township or any 

 county has built a mile or more of such road 

 as i- hereinafter described, and when inspected 

 by the State Highway Commissioner, is found 

 to lie up to the required standard, he shall 

 verify the same to the Auditor-General of the 

 state, who shall draw a warrant upon the State 

 Treasurer, payable to the proper authorities 

 in such township or county for the amount of 

 reward due them for the class of and amount 

 of road built." 



Sec. 10 of the same law describes the five 

 classes of roads, for the construction of which 



rewards are paid. Maximum grade, width, 

 depth and character of surfacing material and' 

 method of construction are the factors on 

 which the various rewards are based. The re- 

 wards paid are $25n. $500, $750 and $1,000 per 

 mile, the amount in any particular case de- 

 pending on which class of road is built. 



11. PROGRESS MADE IN ROAD IM- 



PROVEMENT SINCE THE DATE 

 OF THE FIRST ACT (See No. 91 

 AND THE AMOUNT OF MONEY 

 APPROPRIATED FOR THE PUR- 

 POSE: 



The operation of the Michigan law seems to 

 lie extremely satisfactory. The Legislature 

 appropriated for the year ending July 30, 1900. 

 $30.000. and for the year ending Tune 30. 1907, 

 $!>o.oiw. of which $10.000 each year was for the 

 running expense- of the department and the 

 balance for the state reward. In addition to- 

 appropriation for state reward, the license fees 

 for automobiles go into the state reward fund. 

 Since the law went into effect, ninety-three 

 miles of road have been finished, costing about 

 $:!00.00:i. and there are applications on file for 

 over :?00 miles for the coming year. 



12. EMPLOYMENT OF CONVICT LA- 



BOR IN CONSTRUCTION OF 

 ROADS OR ROAD MATERIAL 

 Counties have a right by statute to set coun- 

 ty jail prisoners to work on the roads or to 

 prepare road material for roads. 



The legislature of 1905 authorized the State 

 Highway Commissioner by a joint resolution 

 to investigate thoroughly the advisability and., 

 practicability of the state utilizing convict la- 

 bor in preparing road material, and report to 

 the Legislature of T.I07. 



HORATIO S. EARLE. 

 State Highway Commissioner. 



Ask Earle's Assistance. 



P.-ntiac. Mich.. April 3, 1 

 State Highway Commissioner Earle. 



Lan-ing. Mich. 



Dear Sir: We are very desirous of persuad- 

 ing our Board of Aldermen to employ a rirst- 

 class Highway Commissioner in the city. Our 

 streets arc in wretched condition. Nearly all 

 of the money that is being spent is wasted, 

 simply because it is no one's business. Would' 

 it not be possible for you to send some good, 

 bright man down here at some time to meet 

 the Aldermen, and help us if possible to do- 

 -omething for the cause of good roads. 

 Yours verv trulv. 



WELCH MOTOR CAR CO. 



