198 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-SIXTH FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION". 



tion of them, but it is in the maintenance after you get the road con- 

 structed. I have seen in the State of New York good roads constructed, 

 and I have seen those same roads in a very few years deteriorate until 

 they were — well, some of the worst roads in the State. If. after those 

 roads had been constructed, you would put on a system of maintenance 

 to care for them, then you would have good roads and would enjoy the 

 benefits of them all the time. There, where it took about five years for 

 them to detoriate. you would have had the benefits for those five years, 

 and if the maintenance kept up you would have probably everlasting 

 benefits from roads. This question of maintenance has been taken up 

 benefits from these roads. This question of maintenance has been taken 

 up pretty thoroughly by the State of Massachusetts, which has a system 

 of state roads, as a number of the other states have. I might explain the 

 roads more than the construction of roads. The aid plan is worked 

 something like this. The state provides for one half of the cost of 

 construction, in cooperation with the county which provides for the 

 other half, or a percentage. In New York State they provide for one 

 half each. In the State of New Jersey it is provided as follows: the 

 state one third, the county one third, and either the general road fund 

 or the property owners who are benefited by the road or the construction 

 or improvement of the road, pay the other third. In the State of New 

 York it is partially paid by the county and partially paid by the people 

 who are benefited by the improvement. After this road is completed, it 

 is turned over to the county for maintenance. You will notice that 

 right here is an important point. The county takes the road and is then 

 held to certain rules and regulations by the state, and it must follow out 

 the maintenance in accordance with those rules or regulations or else 

 the state steps in and spends the money to keep it in such shape as they 

 deem proper. That, in a general way. is the state aid system, but. as I 

 said a little while ago. the State of Pennsylvania has been figuring out 

 that they want a state system. They want some roads controlled and 

 maintained by the state. 



The State of California, at the last session of the legislature, passed 

 an act for the bonding of the State for eighteen millions of dollars for 

 a state system of roads. That seems to be the latest development in the 

 East. This State desires to bond for eighteen millions to construct the 

 roads to tie up the various county seats of the State, then the counties 

 to take up and construct the secondary roads, perhaps somewhat after 

 the manner of the state road. The state road would be used as an 

 object lesson or example by which the county would work out its minor 

 roads. The question naturally arises, whom do those roads connecting 

 the county seats benefit ? As an educational proposition they benefit 

 every one. As tying up the comity seats they benefit every one. As a 

 matter of maintenance they will vastly benefit every one. because at the 

 present time in the State of California we have practically no mainte- 

 nance. On our approximately 55.000 miles of roads in the State of 

 California. I dare say there is but very little maintenance, although 

 we expend per annum three and one half millions of dollars upon these 

 roads. In the past ten years if we had taken half of the three and one 

 half millions we would have had about eighteen million dollars to put 

 in permanent improvement. To be sure, we have got to spend part of 

 this money in keeping the roads up. 



