Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1871-02-16
Roads and Road Making.

At recent meeting of the Mass
achuset,s Board OF Agriculture, Mr..
Charles J.. Flint, the Secretary, read
a paper on Roads. He said his OBJ
ject was TO influence legislation on
the present VIGOROUSLY ineffective
system Of making. Every own
cr of real estate had vital interest
IN the question. The Legisl; turc had
passed resolve to inquire into the
condition OF the roads il. the State
In reply to those inquiries, Mr.. Flint
had received the following statistics
Two hundred and eighteen cities and
towns reported that there were, in
the aggregate, 25l3 surveyors; 257
cities and towns reported 1I,954
miles of road. costing for repairs ST.,
135, 1922, or an average OF about
s74 per mile. The total cost to the
cities is s613,746.1O, or an average
OF s53370 per mile. Aside from the
cities, 246 towns reported 1891
miles Of roads, costing tor repairs,
yearly, 1921, 1862, or an average of
s37.7O per mile. Cities and towns to
the number OF l65 reported that the
roal-taxes are paid in money, 81 that
they are paid in labor, and % that
they are paid in both. From 49,
cities and towns there is reported an
aggregate Of Sl55, 1860 Tor the
past five years fo, damages and ex
penses Of legal defence in consequence
of alleged defects in roads. From
10 towns it is reported that nothing
had beer paid for damages. The
City of Boston expended $355,00O
annually for the maintenance OF high
ways, and several Of the la' ger towns
spent amounts ranging from $4,000
to $4,000 per annum for the same
purpose. 1t was an established F. i'll
ciple among experts that roads
suldho be SO subs y
constructed that tie cost Of main
tenance should be reduced to mini
mum. Although. other thing being
equal, a short line was the proper one
for road, yeta road might be al
vantageously deviated, TO avoid 8
hill, to length equal to twenty times
the hight Of a hill. The evils Of to-
great convexity in road were mani
fold. The better form was two in
iclincd planes. meeting with a slightly
rounded surface in the roads centre
Small loose stones that worked up
ward ought to be removed. He fur
Their elaborated other points OF de
tail, and pointed out what he regard
ed as errors in the present system o.
road-making. Screened gravel and
crushed rocks were the best material
for roads; and towns, for economy's
sake, ought to provide stone-crush
crs anil heavy rollers. He alluded
70 the want Of uniformity in the
roads in various parts OF the State
and spoke of the multitude of incom
petcnt surveyors that were elected.
A good surveyor, when elected
ought to be kept in Office. He
thought that it was better, in some
cases, to employ the poor in making
roads than to send them 10 the aims
house. lie advocated a law compel
ling selectmen 10 employ competent
supcrintendents for three or five
years. Each town should appoint
two Or three inspectors to act in con-
cert with inspectors OF adjoining
towns, and thus make tic roads uni
form. He closed by rccomme nding
Board OF Public Works, to be in
lngurated by the State, to take charge
Of the business Of road making and
other simple enterprises Hearth
aud Home.
Victor Emmanuel is about to sc.