ROAD MILEAGE, CENTRAL AND WESTERN STATES. 25 



The board of highway commissioners in each township shall recommend to the 

 county board of commissioners each year a levy for highway purposes, which shall 

 not exceed 3 mills on each dollar of taxable property in the township. 



All males between 21 and 50 years of age are liable to an annual road poll tax of $3 

 which may be discharged by the performance of two days ' labor on the public roads. 

 The amount of such road poll taxes collected within any city is paid to the city 

 treasurer. 



Bonds for bridge purposes may be issued by any county, township, or city in an 

 amount not to exceed, including existing indebtedness, 1 per cent of the taxable 

 property therein, if authorized by a three-fifths vote at an election called thereon. 



Authority is given for the working of both State and county convicts on the public 

 highways. 



ROAD MILEAGE. 



According to reports received, Kansas had at the close of the year 1914, 111,052 

 miles of public road, of which 1,148.85 miles, or 1.03 per cent, were surfaced. Of 

 the surfaced roads 194.3 miles were macadam, 151.85 miles gravel, 758.5 sand-clay, 

 30.5 oiled earth, 4.1 brick, 7 shale, 1.35 concrete, and 1.25 cinders. At the close of 

 1909 Kansas had 98,302 miles of public road, of which 374.71 miles, or .38 per cent 

 were surfaced, thus indicating a gain in surfaced roads of 774.14 miles in the five-year 

 period. Detailed information in regard to road mileage for the year 1914 is presented 

 in Table 14. 



REVENUES APPLIED TO ROADS AND BRIDGES. 



The total revenue applied to roads and bridges in 1914 amounted to $5,544,048, 

 of which $4,847,055 was derived from the general road and bridge tax, $159,902 from 

 automobile registration fees, $528,011 from poll tax, and $9,080 used by the State 

 agricultural college for educational and advisory work in connection with roads and 

 bridges, this latter fimd being a part of the appropriation made by the State for the 

 maintenance of the State agricultiual college. In 1904 the total revenue applied 

 to roads and bridges amounted to $1,232,817.45, thus indicating a gain in the 10-year 

 period of $4,311,230.55, or 349.7 per cent. Detailed information in regard to revenue 

 applied to roads and bridges during 1914 is presented in Table 37. 



ROAD AND BRIDGE BONDS. 



The only bonds issued in the State of Kansas for road and bridge work were in 

 five or six counties where the work was done under the district road law. It was 

 impossible, however, to secure any information as to the districts which had issued 

 bonds and the amounts that had been issued. 



MICHIGAN.! 



Michigan has a land area of 57,480 square miles and a total road milegae of 74,190, 

 of which 7,828.51 miles or 10.55 per cent were smfaced at the close of 1914. 



There is a State highway department, which is charged with the duty of giving 

 advice relative to road and bridge construction and maintenance, collecting informa- 

 tion and reports from local road officials, and distributing State reward, authorized 

 and appropriated by the legislature for improving the public roads and bridges in 

 the State. The chief officer is the State highway commissioner, who is elected every 

 four years. Whenever any township board, good roads district, or county road com- 

 missioner makes application for State reward on any road and requests general plans 

 and specifications, it is the duty of the State highway commissioner to furnish the 

 general plans and specifications requested. When the completed road has been 



1 In collecting the information for Michigan assistance was rendered hy Leroy C. Smith, deputy State 

 engineer, and collaborator of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



