. American highways; a popular account of their conditions, and of the means by which they may be bettered . secure proper attention, on the part of a State board hav-ing the matter of highways in hand, to each of the localdivisions under its administration. Moreover, as our Stategovernments are usually supported by direct taxation, itis the interest of the central authority to develop the eco-nomic resources of every portion of the area. To show the need of interference on the part of thecommonwealth in its road system, it may be well to notethe results of two and a half centuries of experien
. American highways; a popular account of their conditions, and of the means by which they may be bettered . secure proper attention, on the part of a State board hav-ing the matter of highways in hand, to each of the localdivisions under its administration. Moreover, as our Stategovernments are usually supported by direct taxation, itis the interest of the central authority to develop the eco-nomic resources of every portion of the area. To show the need of interference on the part of thecommonwealth in its road system, it may be well to notethe results of two and a half centuries of experience withthe highway problem in Massachusetts. Although thisState is, for its area, perhaps the wealthiest in the Union,and has been characterized by a large measure of publicspirit, its highways are, with rare exceptions, in a veryunsatisfactory state. Four years ago, after a long-con-tinued debate and many experiments in the managementof the highways, the legislature provided for the establish-ment of a commission to take account as to the conditionof the country roads. The report of this commission, ot. THE GOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS OF ROADS 99 which the writer was a member, showed that by far thegreater number of the towns in the commonwealth werevery ill provided with means of communication leadingeither to adjacent towns or to the main railways. Someof these remoter towns were, measured in cost of transpor-tation of a ton of freight to Boston, further removed fromthat city than Omaha, Nebraska. In making the surveyof the roads of the commonwealth the commission followedthe plan of sending photographers along certain of themore important through routes with directions to takeviews of the road at intervals of a mile. The result ofthis presentation was very impressive. It showed thatfor many months in the year long stretches of these mainways were unfit for use by loaded vehicles. The testimonytaken at many hearings held by the commission showedvery clearly that the tax upon the
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