The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1879-07-05
DIR HIGHWAYS.


Tn all the States where public roads are
made and repaired by labor tax, the inn
rression is gaining ground that the system
IS deficient, and that very much better re-
sults could be secured by some other plan.
The Indiana Agricultural Society dis
cussed this matter at its recent meeting,
and inaupurated a movement which, II
successful, will bring about radical i'm
movement in the construction OF roads.
The Michigan Agricultural Society, which
met al Detroit, January Is, also had this
subject presented for considerations The
President in his address said, very truth
fully. that there was no other subject IN
which the farmer was more interested.
"Cheap transportation was wealth, with
farmers as well as dealers. The present
laws relating to highways, he said, had
come as an inheritance from the past. The
total labor assessment in the State, for
road purposes, exceeded $1,000, 900, and
it was the common opinion throughout
the State that this assessment DID not
give such results as it should. at is too
often the case" he says, "that working on
the roads develops into social visitation,
period for telling stories; practically, few
| days' recreation" This is too true of all
States where the road tan is worked ont
under local supervisors, and unless the
| citizens of road district are interested
enough in the matter to put in faithful
time and work, it is practically impossible
for it to be otherwise The trouble is not
in that feature of the system which admits
of the tax being paid in labor, but in the
supervision, in the disposition of the labor.
Roads can not be constructed without Ia
| Dor, and there is no reason why farmers
should not be permitted to work out their
tax on the roads in which they are more
particularly interested. On the contrary,
there are many reasons why they should.
But this labor ought to be under skilled
management. In our opinion, here is just
the lame spot in the existing system-or
want of systam-for there is no system
employed in these annual repairs. Each
| local supervisor does as seems to him best,
and no matter how badly he spoils the
roads, no one can call him to account. He
is supreme dictator The next year an
other man is made supervisor, and per-
haps he undoes all that his predecessor &C
complished, whether that is to the injury
or benefit of the roads.
There is a movement in some of the
States to enlarge the road districts to such
an extent as will justify the employment
Of skilled supervisor This, it seems to
us, is step in the right direction. The
term of office of such supervisor should
not be less than four or five years, so that,
beginning the construction of his roads
upon a definite plan, he would have time
to carry it out to something like compile
ton. Such system as this, properly ma
tured, would increase the road tax very
little, while the advantages would be
great. AS it is, an immense amount of
labor is expended in the State every year
without any returns, for our roads get no
better. The little blowing, scraping and
shoveling every summer amounts to moth
ing in the way of permanent improve
ment, so that all the labor is virtually lost
What is needed is a system of grading,
draining, filling, excavating, piking, ETC.,
carried on year after year until complete,
after which the cost of keeping up repairs
will be even less than it is now.
These, in brief, are the views of men
who have given this subject much thought
and are competent to give an opinion.
The only difficulty in the way is the op-
position of those who fear an increase of
taxes. This is, to great extent, ground
less fear, as the plan does not contemplate
any great increase of labor and expense,
but simply the introduction of system
attic, scientific construction, aiming at a
definite, permanent result 1t will be we'll
for farmers to look this matter square in
the face, discuss it in all its bearings, and
aid in pertecting some plan that will &C.
complish the most good at the least ex-
pense. 1t is wrong to stick to defective
system if a better one can be substituted,
and that the present system is defective
there remains no doubt-Okio Farmer.