16 



University of New Hampshire 



Bulletin 339 



B. MAINTENANCE OF UNECONOMIC ROADS AND 

 MISCLASSIFICATION OF TOWN ROADS 



Ag-ricultural planning committees in four of the ten New Hamp- 

 shire counties have estimated that approximately 13 percent of their 

 present Class V^ mileage is of doubtful present or future necessity.'' 

 (See Table 6.) Although similar estimations have not been made in the 

 other six counties, it is reasonable to assume that somewhat com- 

 parable conditions exist in them also. On the basis of the four sample 

 counties, it may be estimated that approximately 850-875 miles of 

 the total Class V mileage within the State is of doubtful necessity to 

 local use. 



Many of these roads are decidedly uneconomical, for they keep 

 open submarginal areas which cannot give a livelihood to their in- 

 habitants. Social standards demand that children in families which 

 have settled in submarginal areas be educated, and that they receive 

 medical attention when necessary. Consequently, the town is called 

 upon to render costly road and school transportation services to scat- 

 tered settlers whose total tax contribution to the towai is far less than 

 the cost of services received from the town. The 1941 Legislature's 

 passing of a law permitting a town to purchase isolated locations, 

 "which are uneconomic for farm or home use," is concrete evidence 

 of the magnitude of the town's finance problem in supplying roads and 

 other public services to scattered settlers in extremely low value 

 areas.'" 



Whereas the debit side of the town road ledger shows losses due 



Table 6. Estimated Mileage of Class V Roads Essential for Local 



Service Needs 



* "Doubtful necessity" mileage in four counties in which agricultural ])l:inning conmiittees have 



prepared road ])lans. 

 ** Mileage for six counties without road plans estimated as 10 percent of Column ?•. 

 Note: — • 



This table includes all towns, cities, and unincorporated places or 2.34 minor civil divisions. 



'•'■ Counties in which agricultural planning committees have formulated road plans are: 



Carroll, Sullivan, .and Coos. 

 i« Public Acts (1941) Ch. 66. 



Belkn.'ii). 



