54 BITLLETTlvr 389, TJ. S. DEPARTMEIirT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



desire that such highway or section thereof be improved, may, as an inducement, 

 provide for paying part of the town's portion of the cost by agreeing to have such land 

 specially served taxed for not exceeding five years at a rate not to exceed $10 for each 

 80 rods of the respective frontages. If the improvements are made special bonds may 

 be issued for the amount of the assessments on the lands and shall be a tax lien on all the 

 lands. 



Of the net proceeds from registering and licensing motor vehicles, 25 per cent is 

 applied to the State highway fund and 75 per cent to county-road work. 



County bonds to aid the county road and bridge fund may be issued to an amount, 

 including existing indebtedness, not exceeding 1 per cent of the total assessed valua- 

 tion of the county. 



Any town, if a majority of the electors thereof shall so authorize at an election 

 thereon, may issue bonds in any amount not exceeding the constitutional limit for the 

 origiaal improvement of any portion or portions of the system of the prospective State 

 highways. 



State convicts may be worked on the public highways and county convicts may be 

 worked in preparing road materials. 



ROAD MILEAGE. 



According to reports received, Wisconsin had, at the close of 1914, 75,707 miles of 

 public road, of which 13,399.47 miles, or 17.6 per cent were surfaced. Of the sur- 

 faced roads 9,597 miles were gravel, 2,054 miles sand-clay, 1,408 miles macadam, 183 

 miles bituminous macadam, 88.07 miles concrete, 2.4 miles brick, and 72 miles were 

 surfaced with other materials. Wisconsin also reported 30,927 miles of graded and 

 drained earth roads. In 1909 Wisconsin reported 61,090 miles of public road, of which 

 10,167.33, or 16.64 per cent, were surfaced, an increase from 1909 to 1914 of 3,232.14 

 miles of surfaced road. Detailed information regarding road mileage is presented by 

 counties in Table 28. 



REVENUES APPLIED TO ROADS AND BRIDGES. 



The revenue appHed to roads and bridges in 1914 amounted to $9,880,240.50, of 

 which $7,882,838 was received from general county and township taxes; $1,454,704 

 from the general State tax apportioned to counties; $95,497.50 was the cash value of 

 the poll and labor taxes; $87,000 was appropriated from the general State funds for 

 administration and engineering work done by the State highway commission; $320,000 

 was received from local funds left over from 1913, and $40,201 was expended from 

 local bond issue funds. In 1904 there was expended on roads and bridges $2,181,262.38 

 an increase for the 10-year period of $7,698,978.12, or 352.26 per cent. Information 

 showing receipts from taxation for road and bridge purposes during the year 1914 is 

 presented in Table 51. 



ROAD AND BRIDGE BONDS. 



The total county and township road bonds outstanding on January 1, 1915, amounted 

 to $281,078, of which $21,500 was voted and sold in 1914. Bonds amounting to $16,050 

 were retired, and there was expended from bond funds $40,201. No State bonds have 

 been issued for road and bridge purposes. Information regarding local bond issues 

 is presented in Table 69. 



WYOMING.! 



Wyoming has a land area of 97,594 square miles, and a total road mileage of 14,797, 

 of which 468.50 miles, or 3.1 per cent, were surfaced at the close of 1914. 



By certain acts the legislature designated and established a State system of public 

 highways to be constructed, repaired and maintained by the labor of convicts in 



1 In collecting the information for Wyoming assistance was rendered by C. D. Shawver, deputy State 

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



