The Republican journal., 1892-04-14
The Building and Maintaining of
Country Roads.


est has lately been manifested in regard to
the methods of building and maintaining
country roads.
1 believe that it is fully time such an
interest should be taken, as the present
method of expanding highway taxes by
committing them to highway surveyors
appointed for districts of mile or two in
extent has SO few qualifications to recon-
mend it, that it would seem that any 9th
er method must be for the better In the
present method, or want of method, all
the interest that great mass of the peo-
pie seem to take, is to get their taxes
crossed out of the surveyors book with
out standing on the method of its doing,
or single care in regard to the welfare
of the roads. Of course there are notable
exceptions to this, but even where there
is laudable exception in any given dis
trict, they are to great extent handicap
ped by the methods. One year A is sur
veyor and carries out his theories of
ttuI UuC utAb ID IttS Il oiACINiio
one, and the next comes on and upsets
what A and 3 had done. and no one has
power to object. They are responsible to
no one for the where and how the work is
expended. Another notable evil is that
every resident strenuously objects to hay
ing his taxes placed outside of his own
road district, and it very generally hap
pens that the largest taxpayers live i'll
districts where the roads cost least to
keep in repair, so that after all the asses
sors care to do to equal matters, the
easiest and best roads usually get the
most dollars to the mile of road.
These are some of the well known faults
of the present highway system, and any
one who has ever had the care of the roads
can easily call to mind others by the score.
That the tree shall be judged by its fruit
, is a precept both old and just, and any
one riding over our country roads and
Judging our system Tor want of it of road
building by the results will never dispute
that is the question. Far be it from me
to undertake to point out the most practi-
cal method, but have some general ideas
on the subject. which | will give for what
they are worth. I believe the remarks
made by Mayor Thompson to the city gov
eminent Of Belfast suggesting the placing
of the whole city roads under the charge
of one surveyor and bringing the building
and repairing of roads within the line Of
general business principles to be in the
right direction. No business can hope to
meet with success without a well settled
and definite object in view and a well
defined method OF arriving at results,
sponsible head with power to enforce the
chosen methods. This will give a respon-
sible head, and a single method of road
building throughout city OF town adopt
ing it, instead of having as many methods
as there are road districts and no one re
sponsible: and | would suggest, to make it
town over to determine where and how to
expend the money appropriated, he give
due notice of the same and let the work to
the lowest responsible bidder in longer or
shorter jobs and insist upon having it done
according to his directions This will, as
rule. insure having the work performed at
the lowest rates, and also give every person
an equal chance to do the work if they
will do it as we'll and cheaply as others.
and no one that is unwilling to do this can
have cause to complain.
If this method could be made compul-
sorry by law, So that all towns would be
compelled 70 adopt it, this method might
long as towns have the right to cling to
their old slipshod methods, so long will
we wallow in mud and pound our way
over the stones, explain you the matter
ever SO wisely, and if we have to make
radical changes l believe we should go
farther. Amy one who has mind to look
it up, can, | think, soon convince them
selves that many of our poorer towns.
with the hardest roads to maintain have
less inhabitants to the mile of road while
their property averages much less per in
habitant than other towns with less mile
age in proportion to the population. This
is an injustice that should be righted if
we are to compel good roads. Therefore,
| believe that our summer roads should
be supported by counties, and that each
county should have competent engineer,
who should have power to appoint sur
veyors OF assistants in each town, and
that the engineer should have general
charge of all the roads in the county.
This honestly carried out would give us
an intelligent and responsible head, the
roads built in the cheapest manner,-the
power to expend money where most need
ed, instead of where men happened to live,
give all parties an equal chance to do
the work, and more than all else some in
telligent system of road making, which
could be enforced throughout the county.
| believe that if the same amount of
money that we pretend to expend on our