Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-24
OUR ROTTEN ROADS.
They Clog City Industries and I'M
pede Country Traffic.
SOCIAL INTERCOURSE STOPPED,
And Rural Matrons Must Hibernate for the
Entire Winter.
LEGISLATORS WILL SEEK A REMEDY

n
The subcommittee of the State RoaC
Commission will meet at Harrisburg OF
Tuesday, December g. 1890, for the purpos,
OF preparing the draft of an act of As
sembly for the improvement of public road
and highways in Pennsylvania. This bill
Will be presented to the Legislature at it!
forthcoming session in the winter.
The subcommittee appointed by the com
mission for this work is composed of Messrs
John G. Foight, Chairman, Manor Dale
Westmoreland county; Cyrus Gordon, Clear.
field, Clearield county; II. Stanley Good.
win, Bethlehem, Northampton county; H.
X. Sloan, Indiana, Indiana county; A. d.
Harlan lex oficio) West Chester, Chester
county; Charles +. Ettla, Philadelphia,
Secretary.
This will be the final session of the Road
Commissioners. The general commission
will not be called together to hear the report
Of the subcommittee, but that report will be
made out in two copies, one for the Gov
ernor and the other for presentation TO the
Legislature. With each will be messaged a
copy of the proposed law.
OLD FACES MISSED.
1t is unfortunate for the cause of road i'm
provement that two members of the Road
Commission, who were members of the
House of Representatives at the time OF
their appointment, will not be among the new
members of the Legislature when it assem-
bles in January. They were defeated in the
recent election. John G. Foight of Manor
Dale, Westmoreland county, and John E.
Faulkner, of Bradford county, are the two
unlucky gentlemen. Mr.. Foight is chair
man of the subcommittee which is to meet
ueII month to frame a law, and had made
quite a study of the subject. Being a
farmer himself, he was able TO bring to bear
on the matter an experience with country
roads stretching over many years. Mr..
Faulkner, of Bradford county, was also full
of practical knowledge on the question of
road building
The remaining House members on the
Road Commission are DR.. w. 81. McCul-
Tough, of Allegheny county; John L.
Shillito. of York county, and j. 7. Griffith,
of Mexican county. They were all re-
elected TO the Legislature. The Senators
on the commission are A. D. Harlan, Chair
man, and Hannibal K. Sloan, of Indiana
county. The Governors appointees were
David McCargo, of the A. V. r. R., of
Pittsburg; Mr.. Gordon, of Clearfeld county;
Superintendent H. S. Goodwin, of the Lee
high Valley Railroad, and Mr.. Downing, of
Chester county.
THE NEW LAW
All of these gentlemen have, at the vari-
GUS meetings during a year, contributed
ideas and plans for the draft of law. These
were always referred to the subcommittee,
which at its meeting will digest everything
of this character. Although for the start of
some permanent road Improvement law it is
Il, l. L Il.
troduce 4 bill making startling innovations,
yet it is desired to have its provisions based
on good law and common sense engineering
principles. Therefore, no suggestion to that
eud has been thrown away.
Complaints are coming to the members of
the Commission from all parts of the State
about the horrible condition of the roads
even this early in the season. The rain of
4 month ago stirred up the mud to such an
extent that wagon wheels were not long in
reaching a hub depth in many places
Commissioner McCargo, of this city, has re-
Celved letter lrom well-known farmer
near Parnassus, in Westmoreland county,
explaining the peculiar method by which
road repairs are attended to by supervisors
in one of the townships of that neigbbo
hood. He will forward the letter to the
Secretary of the Commission. Secretary
Ettla has carried on a tremendous lot OF
correspondence with farmers all over Penn
svlvania as to the conditions of roads and
the latest methods to improve them. He is
engaged at present in tabulating the replies
Ior use by the Commission.
INDUSTRIES ARE SUFFERING.
On several of the railroads centering in
Pittsburg the effect of bad country roads
has been noticed already this year. The
amount of freight received at the stations
rba hop oJ
"the roads are getting bad" and teaming
becomes more difficult. a reporter OF THE
DISPATCH, waiting for connections at a
small country railroad station, quite re-
Gently, was told by the ticket agent that he
was receiving on an average of three wagon
loads of freight per day less from the in
terror than during the previous winter.
Farmers are waiting to see if the roads
will dry up, he said.
Ii that average Of three wagon loads per
day at a single station would be kept up all
along that line, it would mean big differ
ence in the railroad freight business of
good-road seasons and bad-road spells.
Oil drillers from every section OF ALLIE
gheny, Butler and Washington counties
send in re- eports of clogged operations on ac-
count of the early embargo of mud this
wear The roads have been so mirv the last
four or five weeks that they have difficulty
hauling their lumber from the railroads to
the rigs. Teams are nearly always doubled
now, and in the more hilly sections they are
trIpled.
SOME SOCIAL INCONVENIENCE.
The farmers wives have begun their last
round of calls prior to alternating for the
winter. THE roads are getting so bad"
they explain, and al every house they are
bidden farewell until spring Their forced
seclusion is only made bearable by one lux
ury, and that is couple of dozen thanks"
of Germantown yarn and a case of Pitts
burg-made knitting needles. Bad roads al
ways cause an overproduction ofhome-made
mittens and socks.
The country churches are beginning TO
thin out in attendance, and, as the pastors
salaries get lower and lower, they. too. will
cuss 'the bad roads of Pennsylvania
On the whole, the clamor for that SUBJ
committee to frame pretty stiff law on De-
cember 8 is general all over the State.