Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-04-25

good roads. BESIDES, people not Only
wish to go to the Z. H., but they some
times wish to go to church, the village,
the political meeting. to see neighbors,
friends and relatives, TO haul their
trucks and produce to shipping point
To do this quickly. easily, safely, they
need good roads. 1t is for these people
ana for none other, / wish to offer a
few suggestions about Our Roads.
To our present system of road work
ing there are at least four objections
probably many more.
|. The Road Surveyor or Over
seer is appointed by the court willy
nilly"-he must serve whether he will
or not. If he does lis Whole duty he in
ours the illwill of seven-tenths of his
neighbors on his ,'road precinct and
if he don't they all growl over the state
of the roads and he gets roundly "set
up Having never done anything on
the road save what his predecessor told
bim-if he was ever there to be told
he follows suit: fills the holes in wet
weather. seeks to have his roal level
from side to side, makes drainage by
three cornered ditch, n couple OF yards
long, cut bias. This does well for a day
or two and his road is now ready for
travel. the grand jury, or the Court to
appoint his successor. you ice Int
tell it-but in little while that road is
worse, if possible, than ever; the holes
won't grow solid, the water ponds max
ing frog hollow" OF il near aschool-
house natatoriun or ! skating rlnk.)
and his successor doeth likewise.
.. The roads under the present system
are worked only, us arule, i'll the leisure
time, and this is usually when too wet
for any real good, even if fully worked
over. Hence no good roads.
3. Tbs system bears uncqually, and IS
therefore unjust. y landowner having
five horses OIL the roads does no more
than Ills neighbor who is not the owner
of Il buffalo stcer-whilc the woman
landowner does nothing, her teams cut
ting I'M the roads equally with the tell
ant who must give his labor or pay his
fine.
1. Offering only the roads themselves
as evidence, tile system iSa failure
Whether this is because under this sys-
tenn the work is not done-or the fail
ure is inherent in the system itself,
matters little. The fact remains.
Having assumed that our present
system of road making is Il failure, ii
follows | should suggest another. | am
avail e that the Solons Of our late legis-
lature evolved from their inner con-
sciouslIess" Il road law which it author
lied the Board of Supervisors to adopt
if it SAW proper-it did not see proper
and | think the people should be duly
thankful therefor. | confess to formu-
late good scheme for roadwork Is by
no means easy, but rs decide nothing
only suggest. L proceed briefly out
lining.
l. Let the Board Of Supervisors take
charge of the roads and see that they
are kept inorder.
=. Tie board 10 levy a tax upon per-
sonal and real property at such rates as
may lie by them considered sufficient
for their working.
5. The Board to let to contract such
lengths OF roads as may be advisable to
the lowest bidder for Il term Of years
the contractor TO give bond for the
faithful performance Of his duties.
1. All persons not owning sufficient
real or personal property to crei-e a tax
of--to work each wear OIL
The road precinct Wherein he iiye5-or
III default pay Il line Of one dollar each
day. AS all aid let such proportion of
the railroad Tux us may not be turned
over 10 the public schools be used for
road purposes. This creates no new
Office CONTRACTOR being substituted for
',surveyor, with pay and bonded to do
the work.
The tax above what is now levied, will
not be heavy. 1t VIII bear equally
The property-holder paying out OF his
means-the non-property holder giving
his work. The machinery is simple.
AS coli. pared with the results which
onght to be obtained the cost will be
sn;lll This scheme seems to me to Of
fer something substantial. Atal events
it will give, properly executed, what
our present system never can, viz: good
roads.
If better, more simple, cheaper
method which Will give us good roads is
suggested, by all meals we should adopt
that. In the meantime let those inter-
ested think over the matter clearly and
fully, and then-act. One thing at
least is certain, our roads are very bad
distressingly bad. The wear and tear OF
wagons, carts and carriages, the strain
and injury to teams, taken with all the
smaller loads necessarily hauled, inIlict
Il yearly loss Which would go iar to put
them in the good condition they should
lie. The gain to the farmer in hauling
his trucks to the point of shipment TO
be able to carry fifteen if not twenty
barrels in his wagon, Tor proportion
ate number in his cart, instead of the
ten or twelve he now does, would be
anornnnns Snch 4 result could he at