The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-05-14
To the Board Of Enterprise.

To the Board OF Enterprise.
Your committee on turnpikes and
public roads, beg leave to submit
the following report on public roads
as they now are, and the cost OF
keeping them up:
It is true that any system of pub
lie service is better than no system
at all. 40 the present system OF
keeping up our public roads is much
better than no system, yet 1t is diff
ficult TO conceive any system that
would be more inefficient. II we
had system that would justify a
number q men in making it study
as to the best means and manner
of making good roads, and let each
have the supervision of the roads,
there would be great improvement
in this branch of public service.
Who in our county has not noticed
the work of road hands in cutting
bitches on top Of well drained
rise, and filling mud holes with big
bOulders - that vehicle can
scarcely be pulled over them and
when over, the wheels will cut mud
holes on each side, thus filling one
and making two worse mud holes!
Then a glance at the work of some
of our Overseers on the streets in
Maryville, will further illustrate
the weakness of the system.
Where we have side walks with
curbing and stone cutters, the over
seers often leave the stone cutters
and dig a ditch out in the street,
throwing up the packed macadam
and making it loose to be washed
away from the stone gutter prepar-
ed for it, that would carry all the
water and keep every thing clean
On the other hand where the Su-
perintendent of the workhOuse has
been at work will, his hands, we
find the work done in order and to
the best advantage as rule. The
reason of this can only be that the
SUI erintendent is at work on the
roads the greater part of the year
he ma, es it study and sees and
understands how to ecOnmize labor
and get the best results, while or
the other hand the overseer is OF
the road only five or six days in tn,
year, one year in five, and mad be
cause he is there then, (and wht
can blame him. 50 his study is how
to get out of a bad job the easiest
as a general thing, and avoid indict
ment. Often majority of tn
hands under him have no interes
in keeping up roads for others t.
travel, and SO they fill their place
with the same enthusiasm that
soldier under guard makes time
just because he has it to do.
Again, the expense of keeping u
the roads under the present system
is one of the heaviest taxes the pee
pie of the county have to bear.
is almost a wonder that there ha
not been public indignation an
revolt at this heavy burden for sue
inefficient return. Let us resort t
figures in this particular. Their
are 1856 overseers in Blount Count,
The 0verseers will average about
hands each. OF course some hav
very few, while others have largel
in excess of that number. The tim
assessed to each hand is six days i
the year. This makes the numbe
of hands in the county for the yea
222O, and the number of days worl
ed in the aggregate, 1890. No,
to the expense:
The work per diem at legal
estimate ............. $l3,32
The tax aggregate (1889) paid
for tools ETC., ........ 1925
Quarterly Court, trying contr0yel
sizes per diem of members pay $2l
Expenses of appointing overseers
paid by county, -. .$lA
Juries of view expenses, say,