of the public works department generally construct the roads in virgin country, which are then handed over to the local bodies. The roads in flat country are generally formed about 30 feet wide (from 20 to 40 feet) and in sidelong ground 16 feet wide. The cost varies enormously according to the nature of the country, from £25 ($121.66) to £800 ($3,893.20) per mile. The unit of length is the ordinary chain (66 feet) and the unit of quantity is the cubic yard (27 feet). Generally speaking, in constructing roads a cubic yard of earth costs about 1 shilling (24 cents) and a cubic yard of rock about 2 shillings 6 pence (60 cents). A cubic yard of metal broken to pass through a 23-inch ring costs about 6 shillings ($1.46) to procure and about 2 shillings (48 cents) per mile to cart. In the cities metal can be procured and handled for a little more than half this cost. The county councils and road boards consist of from 7 to 12 men each and a chairman. They are elected every three years and the members choose one of their number as chairman every year. These bodies strike a rate each year over the whole county or road district, as the case may be. The rates range from half a penny (1 cent) to 3 pence (6 cents), which is the maximum the law allows them to strike. They also borrow money from the General Government, usually for a definite purpose, such as making a new road or metaling an existing road. It is, for instance, decided to metal a certain road. The council or road board decides how much country or how many farms benefit by this expenditure and this piece of country or number of farms is put into special rating area and a rate is struck over it sufficient to meet interest and sinking fund on the money required. These loans are generally for a period of 30 or 35 years, and unless nearly all of the settlers interested are agreeable a poll is taken and the loan confirmed or rejected by a bare majority. The General Government lends money very cheaply for this purpose and also assists the local bodies with grants and subsidies. Questions 11 and 12. Although definite answers can not be given to these questions, it is true that a well-metaled and well-maintained road during the winter reduces the cost of getting produce to market at least 50 per cent. Question 13. As the railways are all owned by the State, this question is not applicable. Question 14. The north and south islands of New Zealand are long and narrow and the coasts are supplied with good harbors. The distance of haul to a railway station or to a port will average short. There are no statistics giving the exact mileage. Question 17. No concrete information available to answer this question, but there is no doubt that good roads increase the value of land considerably. NOTE. The term "metal" means broken stone. WM. A. PRICKITT, American Consul General. AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND, November 30, 1912. RUSSIA. 1. The total number of versts of post road under the management of the ministry of ways and communication is 16,974 versts (verst= 0.663 mile). Besides this a considerable network of common road is under the management of district and zemstvo institutions. 2. The roads are for the most part macadamized, in some districts paved with cobblestones, and in exceptional cases with cut stones or clinker. A varied system of repairs prevails, i. e., either by means of filling up holes or by covering roads with coarse sand smoothed down by horse or steam rollers. 3. Twelve thousand five hundred and fifty-eight versts of Government road are under the direct control of the economic and technical department of the district offices of ways and communications; 4,416 versts of local roads are temporarily under the control of the corresponding district zemstvos, the funds for the maintenance of the roads and the technical supervision in the shape of special inspectors being furnished by the ministry. 4. The per verst cost of construction of the macadamized and paved roads, dependent on local conditions (chiefly on the cost of stone), varies from 8,000 rubles (ruble=51.5 cents) to 19,000 rubles, and ordinarily amounts to 11,000 to 14,000 rubles, or an average of 10 to 15 rubles per square sagene (49 square feet) of the road surface. 5. The annual cost of maintenance of the roads is 90 to 270 rubles per verst, or 10-20 copecks (copeck= cent) per square sagene. 6. The annual cost of capital repairs amounts to 195 to 365 rubles per verst, or 20 to 30 copecks per square sagene. There are no fixed annual appropriations for the construction of roads. 7. Can not be determined in view of the casual nature of the contribution. 8. The governmental direction of the construction of roads consists in the construction being carried out directly by the Government, partly by the officials of the ministry of ways and communications, and partly by the officials of the war department. When the construction is carried out by zemstvos at the expense of the Government, the governmental supervision is exclusively technical by technical inspectors. The financial control of the construction undertaken by Government agents is intrusted to officials of a special department of the State control. 9. The constructors of the roads are either under the direct control of the head office of the ministry of ways and communications or of the district board of ways and communications. The latter is also placed in charge of the finished roads. 10. No taxes are levied on abutting lands. 11. No information available, as the roads are not profited by from a commercial point of view, as business enterprises or railways. 12. No information, for reasons given in foregoing paragraph. 13. There are numerous examples of the construction of macadamized and paved feeders to railway stations. The expenditure for the construction of such feeders is secured from the per pood receipts for transportation of freights. 14. No information. 15. Funds provided by the imperial budget. Road funds of the zemstvos. 16. In case the Government appropriation is determined the project and estimates of construction of the road, after being examined by the central administration, are submitted for approval to the legislative bodies. The staff of the construction offices consists of manager of the work, chiefs of sections, technical managers, foremen, and overseers. Salaries, 4 per cent of the constructional credits. 17. No information has been secured. SPAIN. 1. According to the statistics given by the ministry of fomento there were 33,873 miles of improved roads in Spain on January 1, 1910. 2. Highways are classified as State roads of the first, second, and third class; and are respectively about 26.25 feet wide, 23 feet, and 20 feet wide. They are constructed of macadam. 3. All roads constructed by the State are administered by the ministry of fomento. Those constructed by the provincial delegations are administered under the supervision of the chief engineer of each Province, whether or not the State aids in the cost of such construction. 4. The construction of roads of the first and second class has been discontinued, and in recent years only roads of the third class have been built. It is impossible to give figures of the cost of the roads of the third class unless some particular division of a Province is designated. The cost varies greatly in the different Provinces, depending on the character of the country, the season in which the work is done, wages of the district, price of stone, its distance from the quarry, etc. In general it can be stated that the cost of construction per mile is from $3,456 to $10,080 (a peseta is calculated at $0.18) for a road of the third class. 5. The cost of maintenance varies in the same manner as for construction and for the causes enumerated above, but first of all it depends upon the condition of the road to be repaired. The appropriation for the coming year shows an average of $93 per mile, but this amount is considered entirely too small to keep the roads in a proper condition and the Spanish engineers estimate that at least $230.40 per mile is necessary to maintain a road of the third class. 6. The budget of 1912 calls for $2,720,160 for construction of new highways, which amount is to be expended partly for State roads and as State aid to provincial roads. For maintenance and repairs of highways, $2,615,980, which is itemized as follows: Wages of workmen, $1,506,811; materials, $950,400; salaries of administrative staff, $158,769. 7. Information unobtainable. 8. The ministry of fomento comprises the departments of agriculture, labor and commerce, and public works, each one of which has its own general direction absolutely independent in its department. The general direction of public works is subdivided into different bureaus, viz: Bureau relating to the construction and study of highways. Bureau relating to the concession and construction of railways. Bureau relating to railway traffic. Bureau relating to central department of hydraulic works. Bureau relating to ports and maritime signals. Bureau relating to condemnations for public works. Bureau relating to the personnel and general affairs. For the execution, inspection, and maintenance of all public works the State utilizes the national corps of road, canal, and port engineers. As auxiliary to this body there is organized a competent force, divided as follows: Assistant engineers of public works, inspectors of public works, and draftsmen. The Government employs road menders for the ordinary maintenance, repair, and policing of highways, who are chosen from former soldiers of the Spanish army. This force is distributed all over the Spanish Provinces, under the immediate orders of a chief engineer, who has under him assistant engineers, inspectors, foremen, draftsmen, and laborers, besides the administrative clerks. For the general supervision of the highway service and as a consulting body for study and information on the technical conditions of projected works and questions arising during construction, the Government has organized the council of public works, composed of first-class supervisors and road engineers. 9. The information requested under this question is unobtainable. 10. There is no tax levied on abutting property. 11. It is not possible to obtain tables or information as to cost per ton-mile of highway transportation. 12. There are no statistics as to cost of hauling produce or freight on highways. 13. Highways have not been constructed as a substitute for railway branch lines or feeders; railways do not contribute by tax or the like toward road construction. 14. There are no statistics available which would give the average length of highway haul for produce, etc. 15. National and local sources of raising revenue for highways is by direct taxation as for any other governmental purposes. 16. Once a year the estimates for new road construction and maintenance are made up by the minister of fomento, with the aid of the chief engineer of the road department and his assistants. The manner of making this estimate is most probably guesswork, as nothing could be obtained from the officials in charge in regard to this question. The minister of fomento then submits his estimate to the minister of the treasury for the making up of the annual budget, and after submission to the council of ministers it is voted on as a part of the budget by the Cortes. There is then placed to the credit of the road fund the amount set forth in the budget, which is divided into two parts, viz, personnel and material. The further accounting of the road funds is arranged for by Provinces, and to each Province is credited amounts to cover preliminary studies, plans, new construction, repairs, and maintenance. The new construction fund, as well as that for repairs and maintenance, is divided into amount credited to work done by the administration and work performed by contract. All roads are constructed and repaired by contract, and when it has been decided to construct or repair a piece of road, invitations to bid are published. After a bid has been accepted and the work started, a monthly estimate of the work done is made by the chief engineer of the Province in which the work is being done (ingeniero jefe de la Provincia) which is certified by him to the sección de contabilidad del ministerio de fomento (bureau of accounts of the ministry of public works), which, after being audited, is forwarded to the director de obras publicas (director of public works) and certified to the ordenación de pagos (treasury department) of the ministry of finance (ministerio de hacienda) and the voucher is issued. If the cost of work done during the year exceeds the amount appropriated, the contractor can not collect this excess until the next year. That is to say, that the amount paid out each year can not exceed the appropriation for the year, and any additional amount necessary must be provided for in the budget and appropriations for the new year. When a contract is completed, the Government receives the road temporarily, pending its final acceptance by the jefetura de obras publicas. When this final acceptance is made the account due the contractor, from the beginning of the work to its finish, is gone over and a settlement of account made, in case a balance is due the contractor, by the certification of such balance to the different bureaus as stated above. When this final accounting is approved, the jefetura de obras publicas cancels the bond of the contractor, which is 5 per cent of the amount of the total cost of the work. The annual salaries paid for administrative purposes are as follows: The wages for road menders in the northern Provinces of Spain are 45 cents per day; in the southern Provinces 40 cents per day. Helpers receive in the northern Provinces 40 cents per day, and in the southern Provinces 36 cents per day. A house is provided for the road menders free of cost. 17. No concrete information can be obtained of the increase in value of abutting property by highway improvements. |