Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-06-05
IMPROVEMENT IN NEW JERSEY


A County Road La"
General satisfaction.
Al last wears session of the New Jer-
sew Legislature an act was passed when
is giving great satisfaction IN that sta.e'
II Is called the county road law, the OBJ
iect and purpose of which is the acquire
T,ent improving and maintenance OF
nublic roads. Concerning its operations,
a nro,niuent residen. of the state recent
" said to New York Mail ana Express
reporter;
s.The county road act provises that
any public road in any county OF the
state NAV be declared a county road by
the comfy board Of chosen freeholders
n that county, and becomes such by the
filing of map with the clerk OF the
county defining the road; and that money
NAV be raised by such board for the con-
structicn and care Of all such roads IN
any county. Union county IS emitted
TO the credit Of this new system. The act
was prepared and presented by It's Gnu
zens. who have for several years deemed
some such road law necessity Tor the
permanent improvement Of the public
roads in central New Jersey.
Union county has awaited itself OF
this new law TO greater extent tnan
any other county in the state. lis Doard
of freeholders. unanimous in favor OF the
law. proceeded at once to declare as
county roads the principal roads leading
from Elizabeth to Railway, from Rah-
way to Westheld, from Elizabeth through
Westfield to Plainfeld, from Plainfield
through Westtield TO Springfield, from
Springfield to Summit and from Eliza
beth to Springfield.
Zone hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars has already been raised for macada-
MIXING these roads and for keeping Them
in repair for one year. They have all
been surveyed, the maps filed with the
county clerk, and hundreds of laborers,
mostly Italians, are now engaged IN
their construction. Stone crushers, OF
which there are a half dozen or more IN
the county of Union. are running to
their full capacity, cracking stone for
top dressing, while scores of teams are
hauling stone in blocks for the sohd
foundations. No stone is used in the
CONSTRUCTION VI tASsO tOhAtg tNeNto -
cept trap rock, which is all quarried
from the mountains in Westfeld. This
rock abounds in these mountains and the
supply is inexhaustible.
THE whole appearance of the locah-
ties where these roads are being con-
structed is changed for the better. Be
fore any stone is used the bed of the
road to be macadamized is brought to
a grade, the high points being cut down
and the low places being filed with the
earth taken from high points
THE new county roads are very popu-
lar. Those few who feared the expense
at first are now more than satisfied with
the improvements as they progress, and
it is safe to say that there is not tax
payer in the county that would have the
new law repealed or the old condition of
things restored to save the small expense
incurred. County roads under the new
law viii soon become general in most OF
the counties in the state. especially II
built with the economy, care and thor
oughness which characterize the present
board of chosen freeholders in Union
county. We want more county roads
next year, and the present board to con-
struct them. or board equally as good. y