﻿92 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  different 
  points 
  on 
  this 
  projected 
  network 
  the 
  commission 
  has 
  constructed, 
  

   by 
  request 
  of 
  local 
  authorities, 
  short 
  pieces 
  of 
  road 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more 
  in 
  

   length, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  approved 
  methods 
  of 
  road 
  building, 
  to 
  

   serve 
  as 
  object 
  lessons 
  and 
  create 
  by 
  the 
  experience 
  of 
  their 
  high 
  quality 
  

   a 
  public 
  demand 
  for 
  farther 
  construction. 
  These 
  short 
  pieces 
  are 
  ex- 
  

   tended 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  the 
  general 
  plan. 
  

  

  Through 
  the 
  courtesy 
  of 
  the 
  commission 
  I 
  am 
  enabled 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  state- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  appropriations 
  and 
  expenditures 
  from 
  1894 
  to 
  the 
  present 
  

   time. 
  I 
  quote 
  the 
  following 
  from 
  a 
  letter 
  written 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  B. 
  

   Fletcher, 
  secretary 
  : 
  ^ 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  1894 
  and 
  1895, 
  86.37 
  miles 
  of 
  road 
  were 
  laid 
  out. 
  These 
  roads 
  

   cost 
  on 
  an 
  average, 
  for 
  actual 
  construction 
  expenses, 
  about 
  $9,612. 
  per 
  

   mile, 
  and 
  the 
  engineering 
  and 
  inspection 
  charged 
  to 
  them 
  was 
  $1,130. 
  per 
  

   mile, 
  making 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  $10,742. 
  the 
  average 
  cost 
  of 
  the 
  roads 
  per 
  mile, 
  

   exclusive 
  of 
  office 
  expenses 
  and 
  salaries 
  of 
  the 
  commission 
  and 
  clerks. 
  

  

  "In 
  1896 
  39.8 
  miles 
  of 
  road 
  were 
  laid 
  out. 
  These 
  roads 
  not 
  being 
  

   complete 
  in 
  all 
  cases, 
  the 
  cost 
  shown 
  is 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  an 
  estimate. 
  It 
  

   is 
  estimated 
  that 
  these 
  roads 
  will 
  average 
  about 
  $7,900 
  per 
  mile 
  for 
  the 
  

   actual 
  construction, 
  and 
  $741 
  for 
  the 
  engineering 
  and 
  inspection, 
  a 
  

   total 
  of 
  $8,641 
  per 
  mile." 
  

  

  The 
  appropriations 
  for 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  commission 
  have 
  been 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  

  

  1894 
  $300,000 
  

  

  1895 
  400,000 
  

  

  1896 
  600,000 
  

  

  1897 
  800,000 
  

  

  Total 
  $2,1 
  00,000 
  

  

  Fom 
  this 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  with 
  three 
  years 
  of 
  careful 
  work, 
  Massa- 
  

   chusetts 
  has 
  built 
  126 
  miles 
  of 
  good 
  road 
  in 
  different 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  state 
  

   to 
  serve 
  as 
  object 
  lessons 
  to 
  the 
  people. 
  

  

  As 
  this 
  official 
  statement 
  shows, 
  in 
  1896, 
  with 
  an 
  appropriation 
  of 
  

   $600,000, 
  Massachusetts 
  constructed 
  forty 
  miles 
  of 
  high 
  class 
  road. 
  

   Since 
  the 
  appropriation 
  for 
  1897 
  is 
  $800,000, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  assumed 
  that 
  a 
  

   much 
  larger 
  mileage 
  will 
  be 
  completed. 
  As 
  a 
  certain 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  

   money 
  appropriated 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  official 
  and 
  clerical 
  salaries 
  and 
  expenses, 
  

   the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  appropriation 
  is 
  not 
  available 
  for 
  road 
  building 
  alone, 
  

   but 
  assuming 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  miles 
  to 
  be 
  constructed 
  in 
  1897 
  at 
  80, 
  it 
  

   appears 
  that 
  the 
  total 
  mileage 
  to 
  be 
  rebuilt 
  (2,000) 
  would 
  be 
  completed 
  

   at 
  this 
  rate 
  in 
  25 
  years. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  plan 
  of 
  road 
  improve- 
  

   ment 
  now 
  adopted 
  in 
  Massachusetts, 
  is 
  not 
  intended 
  to 
  provide 
  for 
  any 
  

   general 
  improvement 
  in 
  the 
  18,500 
  miles 
  of 
  public 
  highway 
  not 
  included 
  

   in 
  the 
  system 
  to 
  be 
  rebuilt 
  by 
  the 
  state, 
  except 
  through 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  

   the 
  object 
  lessons 
  furnished 
  in 
  the 
  local 
  examples 
  of 
  new 
  state 
  roads. 
  

  

  