The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-10-09
Roads and ROad-Making.

We accept poor roads as one of the inev-
liable evils of life, and even call some of
them good, or excellent, in comparison
with those vastly poorer. The people of
one town brag of roads that cost them three
or four times what much better ones ought
to cost, and are highly satisfied with their
own and the high road tax, too when they
go outside their own limits and sec how
much worse off other people are. Were
we governed by a Louis Napoleon, Emper
or, we would have excellent roads, for we
would know very well that every dollar lost
in the wear and tear of wagons and horse
flesh upon poor highways, leaves just so
much the loss for him to draw from the
people by taxation. He would know that
it costs vastly more to keep roads in passa-
BILE, or poor condition, than in first-rate Or
der, having reference only to the outlay of
money and labor upon the roads. Why is
it that ace cannot learn the same facts p
Why can we not see our own interests,
every mans interests, as well as the head
of monarchical form of government can
see his? The system of working the roads
from one end of the land to the other, so
far as we are acquainted, is the most absurd
that could be contrived. The township or
the county officers set apart certain sums
of money to be used for keeping the roads
in order in certain districts, to each its al
lotment. This money is to be apportioned
among the taxpayers, and either "worked
out at a low rate of wages per day, or
collected in money with other taxes, at the
option of the taxpayer. The road tax is
usually worked out. The road-master, or
whatever else his title may be, is a resident
of the district, and will rather follow the
customary loose way of doing business, than
see to it that his work is done in the best
way, and with the least expenditure. He
will accept for days work the labor of
mere boys, or of old men, and will have
some days not single ablebodied man on
his whole force, except himself and his
hired man. The result is, where ten days
works are ''worked out" three or four are
done.
Besides, when spring work is pressing,
or haying and harvesting absorb all the
labor of the community, no road master
will do so unpopular thing as to warn out
his neighbors to work the roads. His own
farm work presses besides. So he delays
until autumn, after doing few days work
in the early si,ring. The roads are plowed
up; gravel and clay are scraped into the
middle, che, backs are made, to keep the
water from running and washing in the
middle of the road:-then comes FROST and
all the new work remains soft and unset
tied all the winter and spring, except when
frozen solid. All this is easily obviated,
and we may just as well have good roads
Us poor ones. Almost every township has
good young engineer and surveyor. APP
point him road-master for the town, give
him a fair salary, one or two yokes of oxen,
one or two pairs of horses, with carts, wag
ons, plows, scrapers, and small tools to
match. Let him have money enough to
hire eight or ten good men in summer, and
perhaps four in winter. He should und er
stand that his business is to study road
making, read up on the subject, learn where
the best materials are, break out of old
ruts, and as soon as possible give the peo-
pie good roads all over the town. There
would of course be first, second, and third
class roads, according to their Importance,
and the amount of travel upon them.
Similar systems to the one suggested are
pursued in many townships, and the result
is invariably great improvement in the
roads, and after little while, even at first,
in some cases, n decided decrease in the
cost. We know of some towns in which
the road hands are not employed more than
half their time, although they cut and pre-
pare timber, make bridges, and do much
extra work. Their services are, however,
constantly in demand, and by digging eel
lars, moving buildings laying cellar walls
for houses, etc, making sidewalks i'll the
village, putting down cement walks and
floors on private grounds, and in many
other ways, they earn enough to pay a
large part of the expenses of men and
teams. The road-master inspects all the
roads once Il month, especially after storms,
and needed repairs, if promptly made, arc
slight and etficient.-Anser Agriculturist.