ROAD MILEAGE^ CENTRAL AND WESTERN STATES. 49 



The county board of commissioners of each county is authorized to levy taxes upon 

 the taxable property of the coimty for all county purposes within the limitations 

 prescribed by statute, and upon the taxable property within any district for the con- 

 struction of roads and highways and for other purposes, but no such district tax shall 

 be levied except upon a favorable vote at an election in which a majority of the 

 qualified electors of the district who paid a property tax the next preceding year vote. 



Where the streets of any city are or may become a part of the system of State roads, 

 such city may levy a special tax of not to exceed 2 mills, to be expended in connection 

 with the State road fund under the direction of the State road commission. 



County boards of commissioners may contract bonded indebtedness after submitting 

 the proposition at a general or special election. Four weeks' notice of such election 

 must be given, and the favorable vote of a majority of those voting is required. No 

 county, however, shall become indebted in an amount, including existing indebted- 

 ness, exceeding 2 per cent of the value of the taxable property therein. 



Prisoners in the county jail may be required to work on the county roads, and con- 

 victs in the State prison may be required to work on State roads. 



ROAD MILEAGE. 



According to the reports received, Utah had at the close of 1914 a total of 8,810 

 miles of public road, of which 1,153.75 miles, or 13.09 per cent, were surfaced. Of the 

 surfaced roads, 685.75 miles were gravel, 401 miles sand-clay, 49 miles macadam, 15.5 

 miles bituminous macadam, and 2.5 miles concrete. Reports also showed 2,403.11 

 miles of graded and drained earth roads. In 1909 Utah had 8,320 miles of road, of 

 which 1,018 miles, or 12.23 per cent, were reported as siufaced, an increase in surfaced 

 mileage in the five-year period of 135.75 miles. Detailed information regarding road 

 mileage in 1914 is given in Table 26. 



REVENUES APPLIED TO ROADS AND BRIDGES. 



The revenue applied to roads and bridges in 1914 amounted to $803,070.63, of which 

 1263,561.23 was derived from the general county tax, §374,878.13 from general county 

 funds, poll taxes, and other sources, §157,732 from State appropriations, and 

 $6,899.27 from county bond-issue funds. This does not include the revenue applied 

 to roads and bridges in Carbon and Utah counties, from which it was impossible to 

 obtain reports. The total revenue applied to roads and bridges in 1904 amoimted 

 to $218,675.78, an increase for the 10-year period of $584,394.85, or 267.24 per cent. 

 Information regarding revenue applied to roads in 1914 is presented by counties in 

 Table 49. 



ROAD AND BRIDGE BONDS. 



The total road and bridge bonds outstanding on January 1, 1915, amounted to 

 $541,500, of which §281,500 were county bonds and §260,000 State bonds. In 1914 

 there was expended from county bond issues $6,899.27, and there was voted and sold 

 $10,500. The State bonds were issued in 1911. They bear 4 per cent interest and 

 are to be paid off by the deferred serial method between 1922 and 1934. Detailed 

 information regarding county bond issues is presented in Table 67. 



WASHINGTON.! 



Washington has a land area of 66,836 square miles, and a total road mileage of 42,428 

 of which 4,922.09 miles, or 11.61 per cent, were surfaced at the close of 1914. 



There is a State highway commissioner, appointed by the governor for a term of 

 four years. There also is a State highway l)oard, composed of the governor, the State 

 highway commissioner, the State auditor, the State treasurer, and a member of the 



1 The information for Washington was collected under the direction of this office by W. R. Roy, State 

 highway commissioner, and collaborator of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 



72690°— Bull. 389—17 4 



