THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS

THE STATE ROADS COMMISSION OF MARYLAND.

Federal Reserve Bank Building, Baltimore.

Chairman of the Commission and Director of the Department of Public

Works: Dr. H. E. Tabler.

Members of the Roads Commission: C. Nice Wilkinson, Frank F.

Luthardt.

Secretary: Lamar H. Steuart.
Chief Auditor: William A. Codd.
Special Assistant Attorney General: Thomas M. Jenifer.
Chief Engineer: Nathan L. Smith.

The Commission consists of three members appointed by the Gov-
ernor for no specified term of office. One shall be appointed from that
one of the two leading political parties opposite to the Governor's poli-
tical party.

The Governor designates a Chairman who shall be also the Director
of the Department of Public Works (Chapter 29, 1922).

The State Roads Commission administers all financial and physical
transactions applicable to the construction and maintenance of all State
roads and bridges on the Road System. (Chapter 639, 1931). The
construction of new roads, and other projects, on the System, is
financed from the proceeds of one and one..half..cent ( 1 1/2 c) gasoline
tax, Federal Aid, and with contributions from the counties through
bond issues. New bridges on the State System of roads, likewise are
constructed from proceeds of the Construction funds.

In twenty of the twenty..three counties of the State, the State Roads
Commission of Maryland has been delegated the authority of perform-
ing all necessary functions in connection with the maintenance of
County Systems of Roads and Bridges. The cost of maintenance of the
County Systems of Roads and Bridges is charged to those funds allot-
ted to the counties and administered by the Commission for use of the
respective counties (Chapter 425, 1933, Chapter 465, 1935).

The cost of maintaining all existing roads and bridges on the State
System, first is reserved and deducted from the net income derived from
automobile license fees imposed and collected by the Commissioner of
Motor Vehicles and remitted to the State Comptroller for the use of
this Commission, together with the net revenue derived from the
two-cent (2c) gasoline tax set over to the use of this Commission.
After deducting the cost of maintenance of the State System from
the combined total receipts of the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles
and the two-cent (2c) gasoline tax received by this Commission, the
remainder of such fund is expended for projects of reconstruction,
betterments, and additions to the entire system, or for costs of
construction of new projects including those projects constructed by
Federal Aid Funds, fifty per cent. (50%) of costs being contributed
by the Commission. Grade crossings are eliminated by the expendi-
ture of funds coming into the hands of this Commission from the
one-half-cent (1/2c) gasoline tax, together with the contribution by
the Railroad Company and from special Federal appropriations.

The Commission, in 1934, issued the first of its series of Deben-
tures. The total authorized issue was $4,000,000.00 (Chapter 463,
1933), and an additional issue of $3,000,000.00 was authorized at the
Session of the General Assembly in 1935 (Chapter 563, 1936). The
proceeds of the sales of these bonds were used in conjunction with
Federal funds made available to Maryland under the National Indus-
trial Recovery Act - Public Works Administration, and used to con-
struct new roads and bridges on the State System of Highways.