The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1889-01-31
EXERCISE ECONOMY.
In the Expenditure OF Money as Ar.
piled to Road Building.

} The people wio rave been pay
, ing faxes and "working The higfl
ways" for fifty ye'rs' ana hopini
| and waiting for so;ne improve
ment in fhe "system," are be
coming dissatisfied, and thei
lamentations find their way int
ihe newspapers. This is encour
taging and Suggests an awaken
ling on a subject of vital import
ance. a correspondent Of tn
Akron Beacon Summit County
puts it this way: You spent
about $4,000 a year on You
roads. In Darke county, whicl
has just completed lis system o
pixies, they spend about $4,000
They have one half more are'
than you and as heavy rura
population. They have one hal
moro roads to care for, but the,
do il at an expense Of about ont
9Th Of yours. Why can't yor
do as welIs What you should
do is to adopt the county system
which is briefly this: Elect &
county road Board of one from
each township; This board to have
complete control of all the roads
IN the county, the members Ia
be elected for three years. The
prime requisite for the good
works of such a Board is this
Pay your taxes in cash. The
Board 20 look after all repairs
each member to have charge ol
road matters in his township and
to inspect all the roads al stated
periods and report repairs to the
board. Have he repairs done by
a regular force of men under the
control of The board and the in
spection Of The county surveyor,
or competent expert. This will
insure thes most economy Of re-
pairs and the surplus to be re-
duced BY spending 1t on new
road improvements. The board
should devote all available funds
TO the extension of good roads. Il
will select the roads TO be i'm
proved and will do all it can TO
the accomplishing of The end. 1t
has the choice of several meth
DDS of raising money: 1st. By
general taxation, and it will use
this as far as possible. 2nd. The
two mi:e assessment plan. 3rd.
By tolls. The latter two are
preferable. Bald q road bv the
Two mile assessments and make
it toll road during the lille of
The bonds that have been sold to
build it. The tolls may be used
to reduce The amount of the
assessments. Or this road may
be built and br nded aud the
bonds paid entirely from tolls.
You would get good roads very
in this way and the cost
would hardly be felt. The board
could build half a dozen roads at
,nce, because the assessment dis.
riots would not overlap all the
'oads, 10 be built by contract and
he contracts 10 be as large rs
possible. because the contract
method with careful inspection,
will give you good roads at the
owest price, and the larger the
the lower the price,
Your local system could never
10 much good ia this way be-
ause the road districts are too
mall. You could not gel a good
DAD Of more than a mile or so
ong and it might end each way
n mud hole, or if it was joined |
y pike ii might be a much in
erior one. Besides, from your
ontract being 50 small you will I
'ay much more per mile lor yonr
DAD. The work should always
e done by skilled workmen. and
shen begun pusned through to
ompletion with no stops, using
machinery and steam roller. No
ne but a large contractor can
ford TO do sYis.
When read is disturbed an
hiury is done it. If left unfin-
she'd for any length OF time the
FORK must be largely done over
efore it can be properly finish
d. What thou doest, do quick
"" You need good roads. You
eed roads that are IN long
Trough lines extending to the
ouniy line in every direction. A
;eacon man found that farmers
lose 10 Canton are hauling their
,roduce 10 Akron. Would they
OF be more liable TO do this if
hey could find a road at the
onnty line that would be good
II The way 10 Akrong BY good"
not meant road that is good
! The ordinary Nse of The term
ere. but a r0ad that is as smooth
5 a plank road; well kept and
pod all The year round as good
, md winter as yonr clay roads
re IN mid summer after a heavy
hover. A road in which you