Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 May 1919 — INTERESTING HIGHWAY TALI [ARTICLE]

INTERESTING HIGHWAY TALI

Made by Chairman of Highway Commission Monday Night. E. L. Wright, chairman of the state highway commission, made an interesting talk Monday night in the court room at the court house, in which many features of the new highway laws that were not generally known were explained and made more clear. However, there are muddles in the county unit law that will probably have to be ironed out in the courts notwithstanding the “opinions” of the governor’s accommodating attorney-general. Hon. W. L. Wood was chairman of the meeting and introduced Mr. Wright in a few well chosen words. The Democrat cannot at this time cover all of Mr. Wright’s 'talk in the time and space it has to devote to it, therefore will confine its remarks to the snore important details and those in which the people of this community are most Interested.

The state highway law provides that the state highway commission shall lay out a system, of state roads before April 1, 1920, that will connect every county seat in Indiana. It also provides that the system laid out by the commission under the old law, which was declared bad by the courts, should be retained and constructed first, as \ye gathered from the speaker. The entire cost of constructing state roads is paid 50-50 by the national government and the state —not 50, 25 and 25, 50% by the national government and 25% each by the state and county, as generally understood. The cost of upkeep of the state roads is to be borne by the state. As soon as a road is designated by this commission a "state road," it is at once taken over and maintained by the state or reconstructed by the state and national government. It ceases to be an expense to the county and thereby a great saving is effected to the county, as the roads that will be taken over will be the main market highways, the roads that are most traveled and therefore have been the more expensive to keep in repair. The new 10-cent state road tax, together with the inheritance tax and the automobile license tax after this year, will bring in perhaps $7,500,000, which, with the federal aid, will total about $10,000,000 per year which the state commission can expend for roads. It is expected to lay out a system aggregating about 3,500 miles of roads, to build about 100 miles of these this year and 400 miles each succeeding year, of hard-sur-faced roads. While it is up to the commission to say what roads shall be designated as state roads, Mr. Wright said that he believed the Corn Belt line would be designated as one of these. This road, we understand, starts at Peoria, 111., and comes to State Line, west of Kentland, where Indiana will probably connect therewith and continue lon east through Kentland,- Goodland, Remington, Wolcott, Monticello, Logansport and probably on to Ft. Wayne. This would give Jasper county nine miles through

Carpenter township, and to connect Rensselaer with Kentland and Monticello It would be necessary to build 12 miles north from Remington. This would make Rensselaer some 20 to 24 miles nearer to Crown Point, the county seat of Lake county, than is Kentland, which is also trying to get an IndianapolisChicago line through Newton county, and is a big factor tn our favor of having this line established through Rensselaer. Mr. Wright said it was practically certain that a road would be established between these two cltles. apd it would seem that there could be no argument over which was the shorter and better route. The counity unit law was intended to build roads at county expense connecting up other improved roads, and not for roads that would be designated as ’‘state” roads; also to build such connections in the poorer townships, etc. The three-mile road law is still in effect, however, and townships as a urit can continue to build roads under that ,law. The speaker thought it was best not to attempt to build any main line roads under the county unit law until we saw what the highway commission was going to do in our county in the way of designating some of these as state roads; that the business men, county commissioners and county council should get together and lay out a county system of roads to be built under the county unit law that would be of the most benefit to the county os a whole. To this end a committee of seven—James A. Washburn of Remington; Judge C. W. Hanley, Mayor C. G. Spitler, County Surveyor E. D. Nesbit, County Highway Commissioner Gray and F. E. Babcock of Rensselaer, and County Commissioner H. W. Marble of Wheatfield —was selected by those present at the meeting to meet with the commissioners and county council yesterday afternoon end try to formulate such a system. This committee will also work for the location of a state road north and south through Jasper county, to connect Rensselaer with Crown Point. Mr. Wright answered numerous questions at the close of his talk and everyone present had a very clear idea of the alms and purposes of the law and commission when he had finished. A rousing vote of thanks was given the speaker for coming here and giving the talk.