The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-01-27
More About the New Jers ey Road
System.

More About the New Jers ey Road
System.
A good deal of interest haying
been manifested by the article of
Mr.. Goldsmith of Newark, New Jer
sey, republished in the MIDLAND
JOURNAL from the Country Gentle.
man, we wrote to Mr.. Goldsmith for
further particulars of their plan
of dividing the districts and
received the following letter in
reply. which we here publish for the
benefit of our readers 1t will be
seen that incompetent supervisors is
the great obstacle there as here to
having good roads. We quote from
Mr. Goldsmith's letter al follows:
I presume our county is much more
'hickly populated than yours and coase
qnently wealth and taxable property more
concentrated and greater in proportion to
extent OF roads. Some l2or Is years since
under a special act Of our legislature or
roads were selected extending from New.
ark (which is on one side} aci oss the county
and put in charge of commission to open
and thoroughly macadam ize which was
done at an enormous expense which was
met by bonds issued by the county which
have been paid by tax levied partially on the
county at large and partly on land within
1000 #. of the improved roads and said
roads are yet kept in order by the county
The balance ofthe roads are divided by the
Township Committee of each township, into
districts Of such size as they may think best
In the township in which reside there are
8 districts of from one to two miles each
At our annual spring election sum is vot-
ed for the entire township. 900 last
year, 10 be expended on the roads and ley
led according to the assessed valuation.
The amt paid in each district is allowed
by the township committee to the oyerseer,
to be expended in that district, said over
seer, being elected by the legal voters of
the district at an election for that purpose
subsequent to the town election.
And here comes the trouble as such ov-
erseer is chosen from the residents in the
district none of whom may care 10 accept
the Office and may know nothing Of its re-
quirements and consequently it often goes
to some one who takes it for what he can
mske out of it the care of the roads being
secondary consideration. In some town
ships having, say 10 or IL miles of road 10
care for, it is all put in one district. An
advantage Of larger districts is that 1t war
ants the purchase of improved machinery
that lessons the cost of the care
of the roads and also distributes the tax
more justly as small district may have
more wealth and less road than an adjoin.
ing one.
AS I said in my article to the Country
Gentleman, what is wanted is more interest
in the roads by the community rather than
more law and when the people are well in-
terested in the matter it seems to me it
should not be difficult to make the most of
such means as may be at hand which vary
very much in different localities. some soils
naturally making good roads and others
requiring great deal of labor.
l might say here that in Consequence of
he increased interest taken in roads in this
county the last IL years that parties have
been induced to open up quarries, set up
stone crushers and now do large business,
not only for the county but sending the
broken stone 40 and 80 miles by r. Road
to other sections.
Yours Trnlv
VIM. II. GOLDSMITH.
1t is noticeable that the citizens of
Essex county N. j., have adopted the
plan which we have been urging.
The main roads leading to the city
Of Newark have been macadamized
bends having been issued to pay for
the work. aud the property within
1000 feet of those roads having been
greatly enhanced in value by these
Improvements, has been required to
pay an additional tax, which is per-
fectIy just it should do. These roads
are left in charge of the County Com.
missioners and the county divided
into small road districts and placed
under local management; and it will
be found that where ever an advance
has been made in the improvement
of county roads, that this general
system of management has been
adopted; and to this completion
Cecil county must come at last. The
fossils will remain in the old ruts as
long as possible but they will be
eventually crowded ont.