instances of great change in traffic use as a result of well-planned con- 

 struction. 



3. The tax burden for maintenance of Class V roads, in spite of 

 recent improvement, is still grossly unequal between towns with low 

 valuation per mile of road and those with high valuation per mile, varying 

 at present from 0.50 to 2.79 on the assessed valuation. Further, even the 

 high rate in some towns gives entirely inadequate service, while in more 

 fortunate towns the low rate can give nearly perfect service. In Appen- 

 dix E is a table showing that 24 towns now spend less than $100 per mile 

 on their Class V roads, while 14 towns spend over $500 per mile. The 

 extreme range is from $37 to |1,387. 



To give the same service per mile of Class V road in Mason as in 

 Monroe would require a road tax rate 123 times as high in Mason as in 

 Monroe. This of course is an extreme example.  But a study of the table 

 in Appendix A will show that, taking the average of 29 towns in the 

 low brackets of valuation per mile at about $8,000 as against 49 tow ns in 

 the high brackets with an average value per mile of at least $80,000, it 

 would require on the average at least ten times as high a road tax rate in 

 the low -bracket tow-ns as in the high-bracket towns for the same service. 

 This ten to one inequality is somewhat alleviated by the Town Road Aid 

 and the so-called "gas money" (Duncan aid), but far from sufficiently. 

 A suggestion is made in this study for further improvement by further 

 modification of the "Duncan Act", but this is palliation rather than 

 reform. 



4. Probably some State supervision of the use of the Duncan aid 

 money is desirable. 



5. Some reduction in the mileage of Class V roads maintained by 

 the towns is desirable and should gradually be brought about, being ap- 

 plied to roads classified in the town surveys as "of doubtful necessity for 

 future use". 



6. State Aid Construction. The requirement that towns having up 

 to five miles of Class II A ("State Aid Orange") mileage still to build can- 

 not receive Town Road Aid until this mileage is completed is a serious 

 hardship for many such towns, and means in many cases that their Class V" 

 roads must deteriorate until the "Orange" mileage is completed. In some 

 cases the towns cannot afford to pay their share for such completion 

 within manv years ahead. The State must continue and must increase its 

 generous scale of help to such towns and should in some cases, such as 

 that of Lempster, pay the whole cost of construction. 



Probably, also, the option of receiving both Town Road Aid and 

 State Aid for construction should be extended to more tow'ns. This 

 extension should be based on their relatively low valuation per mile 

 rather than on number of "State Aid Orange" miles still to be built. 



7. Now that through routes are nearly completed, the planning for 

 future construction should be based on a thorough study of its relation to 

 restoring, conserving, and improving the agricultural and timber resources 

 of the State, and also its recreational advantages. 



Curtis H. Pack, Chairman 



Rural Hiyiuvay Conuiiittee of tlie New Hampshire Rural I'olicy Committee 



