ECONOMIC SUEVEYS OF COUNTY HIGHWAY IMPEOVEMENT. . 49 



30 days per ammm. The district road superintendents, one for eacli 

 district, are appointed by the board of county supervisors for terms 

 of 2 years and receive) $3.50 per day for time actually employed. 

 There are no toll roads. 



HOW THE ROADS ARE MAINTAINED. 



Very little has been done previous to the present season toward 

 the maintena^nce of the roads improved, except to keep ditches and 

 culverts open. The roads were beginning to show signs of wear and, 

 in 1915, 24 miles were surface-treated mth bituminous material and 

 stone chips at a cost of about $400 per mile, paid from bond-issue 

 funds. About one-half gallon of bituminous material and 21 pounds 

 of screenings were used to the square yard. The roads which were 

 treated are the most heavily traveled roads of the county. This work 

 was done by the district superintendents under the general direc- 

 tion of the board of county supervisors. 



The use of bond issue funds for maintenance is exceedingly unwise 

 as the debt outlives the temporary improvement by many years. 



EFFECT OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT ON LAND VALUES. 



A comparison of assessed valuations brings out the fact that in 

 1910, the year in which the bonds were voted, the assessed valua- 

 tion was 1111,011,788 and that in 1915 it had increased to $13,629,383, 

 a gain of $2,617,595, or 23.7 per cent. The mineral lands, which 

 formed 43.6 per cent of the total value of all property in 1915, showed 

 a decrease of 4 per cent in value, as some lands which were assessed 

 as mineral lands in 1910 were assessed as nonmineral lands in 1915, 

 a,nd furthermore, the building of the improved roads would naturally 

 have a comparatively shght effect upon the value of mineral lands, 

 as the operation of the mines depends more upon railroad than pub- 

 lic-road facilities. The nonmineral lands, however, increased nearly 



31 per cent from 1910 to 1915. It is difficult to gauge the increase 

 in actual values by assessed valuation figures, as the relation between 

 assessed value and actual value varies from 20 to 90 per cent, and 

 probably averages about 60 per cent of the actual value. 



Personal investigation, however, as to sale values brought out 

 some convincing evidence as to the effect of the improved roads upon 

 sale values. Of the large number of individual cases considered, 

 eight, selected as fairly representative, are presented in this chapter. 

 The value of these eight farms located on improved roads in various 

 parts of the county increased 61.9 per cent, or from an average of 

 $49.06 per acre before the roads were improved to $79.44 after the 

 roads were improved, and it is connnonly accepted in the county 

 that the increased value was due almost entirely to the road im- 

 provement. 



47234°— Bull. 393—16 4 



