MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS. 



MICHIGAN HOLDS THE 



ROAD-MAKING RECORD 



Michigan has broken every record estab- 

 lished by any other state, in number of miles 

 built at beginning of state help, in cost of 

 roads; in small cost to state, both in amount 

 of state aid and low cost of state administra- 

 tion. 



Why has Michigan done this? 



First reason: Andrew Jackson said: "An 

 energetic one is a majority." Horatio S. Earle, 

 Michigan's state highway commissioner, is 

 that energetic "one"; so things have moved 

 rapidly ever since the state highway depart- 

 ment opened for business July 1, 1905. 



For more than ten years Earle had been up 

 and down over the state and had created the 

 sentiment for state aid by preaching the gospel 

 of good roads, and by building them with his 

 good roads train. To such an extent had the 

 sentiment been cultivated that when the con- 

 stitutional amendment, permitting state aid for 

 roads, was submitted to the people, it received 

 a majority vote of 142,242. 



The bill providing for state aid for roads 

 was drawn by Mr. Earle along a different line 

 than that of any other state. It is devoid of 

 red tape, and does not savor in any way of 

 paternal government, being a state reward 

 road law instead of a state aid law, also being 

 a boom or boost law for local engineers and 

 road builders instead of creating a state depart- 

 ment of engineers at the capital to do all the 

 road engineering. By this plan local engineers 

 and road builders and surveyors become good 

 roads boosters instead of jealous knockers. 

 Expense Is Small. 



The state instructs, inspects and pays the 

 specific rewards on completion of the roads, 

 but takes no part in the contracts or the actual 

 building of the roads. After a county once 

 gets to going, about the only thing the depart- 



ment has to do is to make final inspection and 

 pay reward. 



Appropriations have been made by the state 

 as follows: 



Department 



Year ending 



June 30, 1906 $10,000 



June 30, 1907 10,000 



June 30, 1908 10,000 



June 30, 1909 10,000 



State 

 expenditure, reward. 



$ 20,000 

 50,000 

 100,000 

 150,000 



Total $40,000 $320,000 



From the automobile license fund, which now 

 amounts to $15,000, some expenditures have 

 been made for promoting the cause of good 

 roads. 



Miles of Road Built. 



Gravel. Macadam. 



July 1, 1905 June 30, 1906 10 11 



July 1, 1906 June 30, 1907 25 41 



July 1, 1907 June 30, 1908 70* 65* 



July 1, 1908 June 30, 1909 125t lOOt 



Total 230 



217 



Grand total 447 



*Partly estimated. tEstimated. 



The total cost of the 447 miles that have 

 been built and will be built, based on what 

 those already completed have cost, will amount 

 to $1,200,00, of which the state's $332,000 

 amounts to only 27 per cent of the cost, the 

 balance having been raised by the counties and 

 townships where the road is located. 



Of the cost of running the department only 

 one-third of the money appropriated can be 

 charged to state reward expense, or about 

 $12,000, making the cost of state administra- 

 tion of these roads only 1 per cent, which is a 

 record breaker. The remainder of the depart- 

 ment appropriation is expended in holding 

 county road institutes, the expenses of draft- 

 ing, designing, and advising in regard to 

 bridges, in printing, stationery, etc., used in 



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taking care of the large correspondence re- 

 garding road laws, etc. 



The accompanying map shows the number 

 of miles of gravel and macadam roads built in 

 each county, or which will be built the coming 

 season, applications having already been filed 

 for state reward with the department. The 

 shaded counties are those wnich so far have 

 not availed themselves of the state bounty. 

 One noticeable feature is that in the south- 

 ern tier of counties lying right along the In- 

 diana line, where good roads prevail, no roads 

 have been built. These southern counties are 

 noted for their wealth, for their productive 

 farms and for the poorest roads in the state. 

 They have the requisites for building brains 

 and money, but have not harnessed them to- 

 gether with the harness of public spirit and 

 pride. 



Michigan has not patented nor copyrighted 

 the state reward road law, and recommends 

 it to other states desiring good roads. 



The Latest Portrait of Michigan's State High- 

 way Commissioner, Horatio S. Earle. 



Prosecutor McDonald has filed in the cir- 

 cuit court at Grand Rapids an information 

 in quo warranto requiring the Bridge Street 

 & Allendale Gravel Road Company to show 

 cause why its charter should not be annulled. 

 It is set forth that the highway is not kept 

 in repair and that the company lacks the 

 funds to keep it up properly. 



Hancock City will purchase a rock crusher 

 and road roller this spring. 



