THE PROBLEM OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT IN NEW YORK 93 



The Problem of Road Improvement in New York 



It being generally conceded that better roads are a necessity in New 

 York and there being no economical way of obtaining good roads except 

 by building the best, the question arises as to the source of the money 

 necessary to do this work. 



High class roads, if not built by the state, can at present be afforded 

 only in regions inhabited by persons of more wealth than the average 

 farmer. Near the large cities are great areas tenanted by those who have 

 business in the city, but prefer to live in the country. There the prop- 

 erty values are much higher than in regions exclusively devoted to 

 agricultural interests and the taxes being proportionately higher, it is pos- 

 sible to spend more money in road building. Under the present sys- 

 tem of road tax prevalent over the greater part of the state, the equivalent 

 of about $75 a mile per annum is supposed to be raised in each road 

 district outside of the village corporation limits, and it frequently happens 

 that the whole of the tax is not worked out. Moreover, in many districts 

 the people work their road taxes without intelligent supervision and often 

 not only is the labor wasted but the roads are made worse. 



The state of New York having an area six times as great as that of 

 Massachusetts, has probably six times as many miles of important roads ; 

 there being as yet no complete map of our state, it is impossible to make 

 accurate measurement. The total mileage of important roads in New 

 York may therefore be estimated at 123,000. This figure, while only 

 an approximate maximum, is sufficiently accurate for purposes of 

 estimate. 



If it were decided to improve 10% of this total according to the Mas- 

 sachusetts plan, there would be 12,300 miles of road to build. While 

 Massachusetts now appropriates $800,000 a year for road building, New 

 York, if doing this work at the same rate in proportion to her size, would 

 appropriate $4,800,000 a year. This sum would be more than one third 

 of the total amount raised in New York by direct taxation, which is now 

 in round numbers $12,033,651.80. This is undoubtedly too large a 

 burden to be carried, but we could safely afford to spend from $600,000 

 to $1,000,000 per year in this work, which can not be avoided and must 

 sooner or later be undertaken. 



In senate bill no. 330 of 1897 introduced by Hon. Richard Higbie, it 

 was proposed to levy ' in the general appropriation act of each year, a 

 tax rated at one tenth of a mill upon the entire valuation of the state, 

 which shall be known as the state highway tax.' 



