The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-01-08
Public Road improvements.

Public Road Improvements.
The legislature, which soon meets,
cannot do more substantial service
to the State than by maturing and
passing q road law that will enable
the counties to put their thorough.
fares in proper condition. To do
this it will be necessary to create q
committee of the best material in
the legislature. Men should be
placed on it because of their sound
practical sense, their experience and
their genuine interest in the i'm
provement OF county roads. Their
duties will be arduous. There are
few subjects which so much has
been written aud so little of practi-
cal value has been absorbed. The
literature Of public roads is almost
boundless, and much of it is really
valuable, but a committee could
scarcely be expected. IN the short
time ut Its command, to read and
digest much of this information.
The safest plan will be to obtain
the advice of skilful road engineers,
either by seeking them out and per-
sonally comforting with them or bv
procuring what they have written
on the subject and carefully study
ing it. The latter can, probably,
be had at the John Hopkins Uni.
versity, winch institution has DIS
played considerable interest in the
question. The next step of the
committee should be to embody in
the form of a general law the salient
features Of the information obtained.
The Law should contain as few pro-
visions as is consistent with the OBJ.
ject sought to be accomplished.
These provisions should be simple.
90 that the authorities which will
have to carry them out can readily
understand them, and thus litlga.
ton as to their construction may
be avoided.
The provisions of the law should,
as far as possible, be general, so as
to cover all conditions, as the local
condition in some OF the counties
differ from those in others. Above
all. provision should be made for
constructing and repairing roads on
scientific principles, and this can
scarcely be accomplished without
the employment of competent en-
gineers. 1t is safe to say that the
money spent on the county roads in
the last thirty years would have
made them almost as good as turn.
pixies had it been judiciously, IN
stead of, in the majority of cases.
unwisely used. In some counties
those who ought to take an interest
IN the matter have shirked their re-
sponsibilitv, and the commissioners
have been compelled to employ un-
scrupulous agents, and in others
the money has been expended with
eve to securing political advantages,
rather than to build good roads.
The legislature, by doing its duty
to the people in respec. to the pub
lie roads can earn the gratitude of
the whole State. BALTIC. American.
The question of some kind of
pavement which shall be free from
the mud and dust of the rolled
limestone streets when there is
heavy hauling is being considered
in Hagerstown. Recently Mayor
Hahn wrote to one of the civil en-
gineers on the Baltimore and Ohio
road, asking abont the pavements
made of vitrlfied brick at Wheeling,
w. Va. He received the following
reply: I'VE probably have as heavy
traffic, says the reply, lover this
pavements as there is at any point
in Baltimore. We also have pave.
ment Of the same character il. front
of our freight depot at Washington,
where the traffic is also very heavy.
The latter pavement was laid in
1884. Both of tho pavements we're
put down in the winter time, and,
Notwithstanding this fact. they have
given us no trouble. and we have
found them to be very durable and
satisfactory in every respect. The
only expense that we have been put
to with the pavement at Wheeling
is that we had the JOINTS scraped
and poured fun of pitch. which re-
pairs cost us about ten cents per
square yard"