The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-25
Good Country Roads.

the letter or article, not necessarily for pub
LEGATION, but as an evidence of good faith.
Good Country Roads.
John NJ Stahl, in the Farm and
Home, discusses this very important sub
ject from the right standpoint Undoubt-
eddy what he says is true, and if the people
of Georgia and Florida could adopt the
plan he advocates, they would soon have
good roads, and would save money in wear
and tear Of vehicles. Mr.. Stahl says: In
an Arkansas land agents pamphlet, which
/ have just received, it is stated that ''our
public roads are kept up not by taxation,
but by actual labor of the citizens between
the ages of IS and IS years, living in the
vicinity of the roads," This is the general
plan throughout the country. Usually,
however, the labor required, is considered a
tax and fail to understand how it can be
construed otherwise. The reader knows
well enough what working the roads" is
like 1t is largely Of the nature Of frolic.
Men who do good days work for them
selves or their neighbors, endeavor to do as
little work as possible on the highways.
They do not realize that whom they are
working for the public they are working for
themselves and their neighbors. This is not
the only instance in which some of us UNI
Willingly cheat ourselves and congratulate
ourselves upon getting ahead of ourselves.
But to return to the roadway. The older
men spend much of the time at the road
side, telling stories and cleaning their tools.
Some men have bright spade only once
during the year-when they have finished
working the roads" The young men play
pranks upon each other. The amount of
work done is not one-half of what would
be expected of the same force in an equal
time at work on a neighbours farm. The
quality of the work is very poor, and for
this the read overseer or boss, whatever his
local title, is as much responsible as are the
men. His jurisdiction is limited, his pay is
small, and the position brings no honor to
the men well qualified to occupy it.
Hence the road overseer is too often
man who has not been successful in his own
business, demonstrating that he is man Of
not good Judgment and intelligence. He
directs that the work be done improperly,
and SO it is done. These overseers have
their own notions of how and for what the
labor should be expended; and as they only
hold Office for year, they are largely en-
gagged in undoing the work of their prede-
cessors My readers know that this picture
is not overdrawn. Is it any wonder that
our roads do not improved That during the
spring they are well-nigh impossible, and
often during the other months are rough
and ''chuckyp
All this can be easily corrected. 1t has
been done in the state in which l reside.
Now the roads of each township, six miles
square, are put in the hands Of three high
way commissioners, holding office for three
years. One is elected each year by the
voters of the township at the annual election.
AS a result, two of them always have some
experience in their duties, having held over.
As they constitute majority, the work is
carried along practically the same lines and
having the same objects in view year after
year.
The work of one year is the continuance
of the work of the preceding year, not the
undoing of it. The jurisdiction of the
commissioners is not so large that they can
not thoroughly study, direct and oversee
operations; yet it is so large that it carries
some honor and fair pay for men of good
abilities, and such occupy the position. The
road tax is collected in money, along with
the real and personal property tax. The
work to be done is carefully divided into
lots. Specifications are carefully drawn.
In this work and in overseeing it, especially
bridge building. the overseers throughout
the country are assisted by the county SER
veyor, who mnst also be a civil engineer.
The work is let in lots to the lowest bidder.
Bids are invited by advertisements in the
county papers, and the bids are received
sealed. Payment is conditioned upon the
satisfactory performance of the work, Your
reader will see that this is simply introduce
ing tried and good business methods into
the public service; and this civil service re-
form has already worked great improve
ment in our highways. Some men make a
speciality of road work. They provide
themselves with special tools which the
townships did not have under the old re-
gime; and among these men there is not a
little competition for work; hence the road
working and repair is done at low figures.
The same expenditure has at least three
times the effect that it had under the old
system of collecting and expanding the road
tax. The new system has had trial of
eight or nine years in this county, and no one
thinks Of returning to the former meth
DDS.
Another point of prime Importance is to
make all improvements and repairs thor
ough and complete. As general thing, the
road tax is spread over twice the surface tina t
should be covered. AS a result, repairs are
made in only temporary fashion, trustin g
that they will last till the next year. And
it is fortunate if they last that long. Ram
shackle bridges are put in, to settle till they
are unsafe, or to go out with the first
freshet. If start were made at some
point, and the tax expended only so far as
it would make thorough, substantial, per-
manent improvement, much more would be
accomplished in the end. Better one
bridge, or one mile of grading that will
endure for twenty years, than six bridges,
or six miles of grading that must be re-
placed in year. In thus reducing the ex-
tent of the work, it will be necessary to do
fret of a II work n tuallv nacassarv to avoid