LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TAXATION 81 



funds. He does, however, have control over the expenditure of funds 

 on state aid highways, which are constructed by joint appropriations 

 of both towns and state. His advisory capacity in his relations to local 

 officials has its source in his legal duty to provide for annual meetings 

 of local highway agents when advice and instruction are given rela- 

 tive to the care and maintenance of local highways. 



In 1925 the state legislature provided for the classification of 

 highways, as follows :^^ 



Class L All state highways, trunk lines, and cross-state high- 

 ways. 



State hiyhzi-ays are those constructed and main- 

 tained by the state and designated as state highways. 



Trunk lines are highways which are designated as 

 such, or as cross-state roads to be permanently im- 

 proved. 



Class IL All highways designated as state-aid roads by the high- 

 way commissioner, constructed by joint funds, and 

 maintained by the state. 



Class in. Those highways designated as town highways and set 

 aside by the highway commissioner from the regular 

 town highways for state maintenance. 



Class IV. All highways within the compact parts of towns of 

 2,500 inhabitants and over. 



Class V. All other traveled highways. 



Class VI. All other existing public ways no.t regularly maintained. 



The commissioner has authority to assign highways to their ap- 

 propriate classes and to change the assigninent from one class to 

 another. By this authority he is able to control to some extent the 

 miles of Class V roads on which state aid is claimed. 



In 1933 the state assumed full control for reconstruction and 

 maintenance of truck-line and state-aid highways for a trial period of 

 two years. In 1935 the legislature removed the trial clause and gave 

 the state department full control of highways and bridges on the 

 trunk-line system, and all highways on the state aid system, excluding 

 bridges. The state aid, or secondary, system was complicated because 

 of authority having been granted local highway officials to approve 

 or disapprove the location of these roads. This procedure was not 

 conducive to long-time planning for a sound state highway system to 

 best serve the public. In 1937 the state legislature passed an act 

 which provided for the establishment of a definite secondary system 

 for the purpose of developing recreational areas and rural communi- 

 ties that are not now adequately served by highway transportation 

 facilities. The system is to connect existing highways into a second- 

 ary system in accordance with a map prepared by the commissioner. 

 This control map was filed as an integral part of the act and divided 

 the secondary system (Class II) into two classes of subsystems of- 



^1 Revised Laws, 1941, Chapter 99, Section 24. The description presented here is not an exact 

 quotation from Chapter 99, Section 24, which refers to other chapters and sections of the statutes 

 for definition. 



