Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-07
TDRIVE OUT YET,
Unless You Want to be Entirely Dis
gusted With Country Roads.
A GLANCE AT THOSE MUD-TROUGHS
And Discussion of the Legislative Relief
Contemplated.
wHArCOMMIsSIONER M'KEE sAYsOF IT

A bill to improve county roads is to be
submitted to the next Legislature and our
County Commissioners have been studying
its provisions. The township roads of Al
legheny county are at present about the
worst in the State, as they receive no more
attention than those of the back counties
where hauling is light, and, instead of
growing better they grow worse from year to
year. IfpeOple who gauge the civilization
Of locality by the condition of its roads
were to examine those of this county. they
would place us lower in the scale than Tur-
key or Russia, and it seems strange that
Mr.. Powderly, in his concentrated-lyeish
reply to Superintendent Warner, of the
Workhouse, did not impress the necessity
of Keeping criminals healthy by employing
them where their labor would not only not
injure the members of the z. of L., but
where the field could not by any possibility
ever be crowded.
1t may sstonish people whose business re-
quires them to navigate the mud streams,
called roads in this county, to know that
every year over $500, 900 are wasted on
them, for almost the entire expenditure is
wasted, and the levy for road tax on the
townships ranges from l 4 to 6 mills on the
dollar. If the claim be that the money is
spent in the employment of the men who
pay the tax, the reply is that these men
might better let the roads alone and devote
their energies to the creation of some kind
of wealth or expend the money or time or
effort to purchase tuttl-frutti and other deli
cscies rarely seen in farmers houses.
WHAT IT Is LIKE.
Reader, did you ever see supervisor and
his gang work country roads? They dig or
plow ditch on each side OF the road and !
throw the dirt into the center For some |
days it makes hauling very heavy; but, in
dry weather, the track is eventually |
smoothed down and driving on it becomes |
pleasure. This condition holds until the |
fall rains set in, when the ground becomes |
soft and slops over into the bitches. In |
few DAYS they are filled with mud, and the |
road is of the consistency of bed of NOR
tar. When freezing sets in it is still worse,
and the roads of Allegheny county are |
worse than ''the rocky roads 10 Dublin" |
When spring comes the bitches instead of |
being at the sides of the road, often shift |
into one, and that in the center.
1t is said that Sc, 600 were expended last |
year on the main road leading out of Char |
tiers station, and to-day, if CHARTERS creek |
were turned into it and 1000 men set to |
mixing the mud, 'twould be a better road |
than it is as now you strike distractions |
every few feet which cause wheels to splash |
the mud as high as second story windows.
Itwould pay the townships better were
they to expend their levy in making side |
walks and let the roads take care of them |
selves. They could not be worse than they |
now are, and children could at least get to |
school with some degree of comfort.
The first bill proposed in the Legislature
was an absurdity, as it only provided
l mill yearly levy, which, under the best
enough money to make any appreciable diff |
ference in so years.
COMMISSIONERS CONSIDERING.
Senator McLane, of Washington county,
has prepared bill, and this matter has |
been referred to the County Commissioners
of all the counties for opinions
Messrs. Mercer and MeWilliams, of the |
Allegheny County Board, referred the mat
ter to Commissioner Mckee, they being CITY
men and feeling incompetent to advise. Nj
Mckee saws it is the best that has been pro-
posed, but he finds in it considerable to
which he objects. 1t provides for three su-
pervisors without salaries, who are expected
to fix the hours of labor and price it in
cluding teams, etc. The foreman is not re-
quired to do manual labor, and his salary is
to be the same as man working under him
1t provides for the election of a county en-
gi1eer Taxes paid in cash are allowed a
discount, the Senator evidently being &C.
quainted with the tact that the average
farmer who works out his taxes considers
that he has a right to Soldier" Of the
amount of tax collected, 25 per cent is to be |
expended in macadamizing.
The objections filed hv Mr. MnEea ava
against the provision that six petitioners
can ask for new road or a change of grade. |
Then, if the Commissioners grant the re-
quest, there is no appeal, save as to the
amount of damage allowed; also, to the |
provision that allows the viewers to be |
selected from the township in which the |
proposed new road is to be located or grade |
changed. Mr.. Mckee
DOUBTS THE ExPEDIENCY
of allowing men who might be interested to |
be viewers and thinks they should be |
chosen beyond the possibility of bias or |
self-interest. The same objection applies |
to petitions for bridges. He also thinks the |
work mapped out for one engineer would |
be more than he would be able to |
perform without assistance, and |
finally, Mr.. Mckee thinks it
would be unjust to the cities and borouphs
in this county to require them to pay IS Der
cent OF the cost Of improving township |
roads, after the heavy expense they have |
been put to make streets within their own |
boundaries, the cities and boroughs repre-
senting three-fourths of the assessed valua- |
tion of the county. OF course this objection |
would not apply in all counties to the ex-
tent that 1t does in this.
The assessed valuation Of the townships
of this county was, in 1887, So, ,024, ,923; In
1883, SIS, ,o25, ,502, and it is expected to be in
the neighborhood of $55, ,OOo, 900 this year.
As nothing is likely to be done for two
years, there is a prospect that the townships
will waste $500, 900 more, and the loss to
business in both townships and cities from
bad roads will be meantime as much more
before remedy is reached.
Scissors Sets Reduced 25 Per Cent