﻿94 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  value 
  of 
  taxable 
  property 
  for 
  the 
  current 
  year 
  is 
  stated 
  by 
  

   the 
  comptroller 
  to 
  be 
  $4,506,985,694. 
  This 
  sum 
  when 
  taxed 
  at 
  the 
  rate 
  

   of 
  one 
  tenth 
  of 
  a 
  mill 
  would 
  yield 
  an 
  annual 
  amount 
  of 
  $450,698.56 
  

   available 
  for 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  state 
  highways. 
  On 
  this 
  basis 
  each 
  tax- 
  

   payer 
  would 
  contribute 
  only 
  10 
  cents 
  on 
  each 
  $1,000 
  of 
  assessed 
  valua- 
  

   tion. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  considered 
  by 
  many 
  that 
  the 
  wiser 
  method 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  divide 
  

   the 
  cost 
  between 
  the 
  state, 
  the 
  county 
  and 
  the 
  locality 
  benefited. 
  

  

  The 
  proportionate 
  division 
  suggested 
  in 
  senate 
  bill 
  no. 
  330 
  of 
  1897, 
  is 
  

   one 
  half 
  by 
  the 
  state 
  and 
  one 
  half 
  by 
  the 
  county 
  ; 
  it 
  being 
  also 
  provided 
  

   that 
  the 
  amount 
  paid 
  by 
  each 
  county 
  may 
  be 
  apportioned 
  by 
  the 
  board 
  

   of 
  supervisors 
  so 
  that 
  35% 
  of 
  the 
  cost 
  shall 
  be 
  a 
  general 
  county 
  charge 
  

   and 
  15% 
  a 
  charge 
  upon 
  the 
  town 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  improved 
  highway 
  is 
  

   located, 
  or 
  to 
  be 
  assessed 
  upon 
  and 
  paid 
  by 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  the 
  lands 
  bene- 
  

   fited, 
  according 
  as 
  the 
  request 
  for 
  the 
  improvement 
  comes 
  from 
  the 
  board 
  

   of 
  supervisors 
  of 
  the 
  county 
  or 
  from 
  the 
  owners 
  of 
  one 
  third 
  the 
  lineal 
  

   feet 
  frontage. 
  

  

  As 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  expected 
  that 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  road 
  building 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  

   would 
  be 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  Massachusetts, 
  viz, 
  $10,000 
  per 
  mile, 
  the 
  

   cost 
  of 
  rebuilding 
  at 
  state 
  expense 
  the 
  great 
  system 
  of 
  public 
  highways 
  

   mentioned 
  above 
  would 
  be 
  about 
  $123,000,000. 
  

  

  If 
  so 
  large 
  a 
  sum 
  as 
  $4,800,000 
  a 
  year 
  were 
  appropriated 
  and 
  it 
  were 
  

   found 
  possible 
  with 
  this 
  sum 
  to 
  build 
  480 
  miles 
  of 
  road 
  per 
  year, 
  a 
  period 
  

   of 
  25.6 
  years 
  must 
  elapse 
  before 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  the 
  work. 
  On 
  the 
  

   other 
  hand, 
  if 
  New 
  York 
  were 
  to 
  appropriate 
  exactly 
  the 
  same 
  amount 
  

   as 
  Massachusetts, 
  viz, 
  $800,000 
  per 
  year 
  and 
  could 
  build 
  80 
  miles 
  per 
  

   year, 
  it 
  would 
  require 
  153.75 
  years 
  to 
  complete 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  12,300 
  

   miles. 
  During 
  all 
  of 
  this 
  time 
  and 
  for 
  all 
  time 
  to 
  come 
  there 
  would 
  re- 
  

   main 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  a 
  vast 
  network 
  of 
  iio,'/oo 
  miles 
  of 
  road 
  inadequately 
  

   cared 
  for, 
  as 
  at 
  present, 
  unless 
  some 
  plan 
  for 
  i7itelligent 
  supervision 
  and 
  re- 
  

   pair 
  were 
  provided 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  that 
  for 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  constructing 
  state 
  

   highways. 
  

  

  The 
  apparent 
  difficulty 
  of 
  enacting 
  legislation 
  involving 
  a 
  work 
  of 
  such 
  

   great 
  expense 
  and 
  covering 
  so 
  long 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  time 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  belief 
  

   that 
  the 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  road 
  problem 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  

   division 
  of 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  state 
  road 
  constructi6n 
  between 
  the 
  state, 
  the 
  

   county 
  and 
  the 
  locality 
  benefited 
  as 
  already 
  mentioned. 
  Even 
  this 
  would 
  

   not 
  be 
  a 
  rapid 
  process; 
  allowing 
  $1,000,000 
  for 
  the 
  construction 
  of 
  100 
  

   miles 
  of 
  road 
  per 
  year, 
  123 
  years 
  would 
  be 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  

   the 
  undertaking. 
  

  

  