Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-02-06
THE ROAD PnODLEM.
For scraplng Mud In 50 Years the stats
Has spent $500, ,OOO, 900.

For Scraping Mud In 50 Years the stats
Has spent $500, 900 900.
From the Pittsburg ptspatch.
Before the Pittsburg chamber of com.
merCe on Monday, Colonel 7. r. Roberts,
who represented the organisation q the
recent road convention 10 Harrisburg,
He ssid: The Philadslphia gentlemen
appeared 10 favor the taxation Of corporate
property now exempt, to assist, II need be,
In the construction Of better roads through.
out the state. One thing In certain, namely,
that We can hope for no Improvement In
our country roads 20 long a. the unit In
their control Of construction aud manage
mont Is the township. On this point the
convention agreed unanimously, but there
was differences Of opinion - 70 how fAr
the state should 60 Independently ofcounty
action.. The majority Of the convention
70 ali counties, vest{ng in the hands Of the
commissioners In conjunction with an en-
gineer, which last named official be ap-
pointed by the court in each judicial or
county district, the authority TO classify the
roads, and TO determine from year TO year
upon which highways the proceeds Of 9
general county tax might be expended, and
further empowered to supervise the work
and harmonic the system of Improvement
on the less travelled road with Wow ulti-
matsly of bringing all Of the public roads
into proper condition. A state board un-
der this system might be organised to sd-
just difficulties liable to arise upon roads
connecting county seats, and to assist the
poorer counties which have such rocky
roadbeds, and finally 10 make tn alton uni
form throughout the state.
We have during the last so years
sdisping up mud from our roads upward Of
49OO,OO0, 600 about 0,OO0,0O0 being now
annually expended for this same purpose.
This system might be pursued to the end
OF time with no good effect In making
permanent improvement. In Allegheny
ccsIty we have SSC milss Of r. ro:Ss ,S not, not
mile Of the National turnpike In Washing
ton county which was built 68 years ago.
We should have good roads Intermediate
between the lines Of the railroads entering
this city to the agricultural regions Of
W:shsngton, Beaver, Armstsong, Arm ,t batler
q fair share of the cost, and must ask the
Legislature to authorize the counties 70
assist In their corporate capacity. II COM
missioners by la'f are authorized to main-
tain and constr let county bridges, and IL
county aid be extended to the constant
improvement # bridges, why should II not
be given for 70 'ds also?
In referring t. the labor of convicts on
the roads the speaker said the subject was
not considered TO any extent at the conven-
tion; personally, he was not In favor Of It,
and bad been informed by an official at the
Western penitentiary that there were not
enough convicts In the state to do the work
and the cost Of guarding them would result
in very little economy. In conclusion, the
speaker remarked on the importance Of
Immediate action on the road question and
stated that 1t was not holiday work to re-
build the roads, but years Of time, labor
and the introduction OF the latest mschin-
cry, and the annual expenditure of mil
lions would alone accomplish II.