The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-12-09
WHAT HARTFORD ROADS COST.

WHAT hartford ROADS COST.
General Discussion by the Club.
Reported for The Egis.
An important and largely attended meeting
of the Deer Creek Farmers Club was held on
Saturday evening last, ut Walkers Eagle Hotel,
Bel Air. Mr.. S. A. Williams presided until the
arrival of the President, Mr.. d. c. Wharton
Smith. All of the active members of tho club
were present, together with four of the Gen
eral Road Supervisors of the county-Messrs
John Haviland, VIM. Z. Monks, John Dalton
and Samuel s. james. Among the honorary
members and guests were S. NJ. Lee, George X.
Stephenson, Jas. Il. Preston, G. w. Proctor j.
NJ. Street,, y. NJ. Fulford and Thomas A. Hays.
Mr.. Williams stated that the club had invited
the General Road Supervisors of the county to
meet with Them for the purpose of ascertain
ing their views with regard to road matters
and especially as to a proposition originating
in the Darlington Road League to divide each
election district into separate road districts,
with supervisor over each, responsible to the
General Road Supervisor of the district, these
b-supervsors to supply themselves with I'M
plements for road-mending and to have charge
of the roads in their respective districts.
John Haviland, General Supervisor of the
LIST district, said it would be n good plan to
have road supervisor i'll each precinct, and
he was in favor of giving roads to mend to per-
sons most interested in them. One difficulty
he saw i'll the proposed plan was to get hands
to work regularly ON the roads when they
were needed. 1t would pay the county to have
certain men to attend TO the roads the entire
year. They should be mendcd in May and
looked after again in the fall.
Samuel :. james, supervisor of the 9Th dis
trict, said farmers won't mend roads at the
proper time and consequently their work is of
little benefit Then, too, the General Road
SunarN.iSDrS and the County commissioners
have not full control over expenditures for
roads. For instance, i'll the 9TH district there
NAV be So, 900 levied for roads OF this sum
8 900 is kept back for use in the fall but the
General Supervisor has no control over it be-
cause the road supervisors exceed their war
rants and if the county does not pay them Tor
extra work suit is brought and jurieS always
give verdicts against the county. Thus the re-
serve fund is spent without any one to control
If the roads in the 5th district were divided
into seven eight parts and one good man
put over each section he could afford to pro-
vide the team and tools to mend those roads.
BY experience the hands he employed would
soon be able to do twice as much work as green
hands. This plan would do away with extra
work on roads which the county has not au-
thorizcd, and also with the charge each sub
supervisor makes of 81 .25 n day for hunting
hands and presenting his account to the Com
missioners. From 125 to 40 roads warrants
are issued in his district and for each of these
warrants as well as for each extra appropria-
ton the county must pay for returning the &C
counts.
These seven eight sub-superyisors
should be responsible to the General Road
Road Supervisor and the latter TO the Commits
sioners. The Darlington Road League has Is
miles of roads under control worked by one
man, and these roads have been vastly i'm
proved. Hereafter they will cost less to keep
them good. Everybody is satisfied with the ar.
rangenent Now the roads are mended when
farm work is not pressing, and there Is no
money on hand to do anything more until
another year rolls around.
John Dalton, Supervisor of the 4th district,
said he had fDlud IT. difficult IN farmers
work long sections of road and generally, too,
they are the worst road-mendels. He describ-
ed the manner pursued by him in improving the
roads in Marshall's district and said that i'll Up-
per Cross roads precinct he had succeeded in
making miles of good stone road out of the
regular appropriation. HeapproVed OF the jul
dcious use of the road scrapcr, and could mend |
four-fifthS of the roads i'll Upper Cross Roads
precinct with it. 1t is essential to drain road
before mending it and where mud holes inyuri-
ably appear to put i'll box to carry or the
water. He preferred good, solid chestnut to
white oak for these boxes as it will lust longer.
He encourages farmers to haul stones from
their farms out to the roads. In many in |
stances they will do it free of charge In Others
they will give the stone but charge for the
hauling. He thought the better plan would
be to contract with farmers to haul stones on
the roads and break them by the perch; He
iron, but mentioned three bridges of wood |
over Deer Creek, only one of which had cost
One One Of them is very old bridge and had cost
nothing except for new floor in the last Z |
years. He was in favor Of dividing the districts |
into smaller road divisions In his district he |
thought three supervisors would be enough |
Each of these should provide himself with a |
team and tools and ma q it his sole business to !
mend roads. The money now spent through |
road warrants would i'll that way do more |
work.
Mr.. Dalton strongly urged the Importance of |
u four or five-t0n roller to use after the road |
scraper and upon newly macudamzed roads
VIM. T. Monks, Supervisor of the Sd district, |
did not approve the Use of the road machine in |
the third district and il his experience that !
more and better work can be done with the |
pick and shovel. A farmer who understands
the business is as cheap IL road-mender AS any !
one else. General Supervisors should have en- |
tire control of the roads of their districts. lie
opposed glVlng out roads IN snlaIi patches.
Mr.. Dalton said that with Il good team and Il |
scraper he en- mend more miles of roud and do |
it better than 300 men can with shovcls.
Mr.. James said that when roads are given out
to mend in small sections farmers won't use
the road scraper, but prefer to do the work
themselves
to mend roads would be for the county to bor-
row money and turnpike them.
Mr.. Dalton said that with a road machine
costing So day and an OK team or horse cart,
costing 80, one mile of road per day, as an
average, can be thoroughly repaired.
John MOoreS estimated that there are 100
miles of roads in the county and upon this esti-
mate all the roads should be mended for $500
II year, whereas they cost $5O, 900. The scrap
or cannot be used on ALL put there Is an enOr-
nous difference.
Mr.. Dalton remarked that in using the scrap
cr ROAD can often DE repaired IOr less U0en
tile amount allowed. The surplus he applies
in stone work on bad places. To mend the
roads most economically in Marshall's district
there should be three supervisors, each with u
good team, a road scraper and heavy roller.
A general discussion then took place
John b: Wysong regarded Mr.; James sug-
gestion of dividing the election districts into
road sections a good one. The general and
local supervisors should have control of the
general road mending without the necessity of
special application to the Commissioners. The
custom of making extra bills for road work is
wrong. No supervisor should expend more
t an his warrant calls for, except upon the
order of the General Supervisor. The great
defect in The present system is in not giving Gen.
eral Road Supervisors enough authority.
Mr.. Haviland also thought all extra appro-
priations should be expended under the drec-
ton of the General Supervisor.
Mr.. Dalton said that men go to the Commits
sioners for extra appropriations to complete
work on the road allotted them, and upon be-
ing referred to the General Supervisor, do not
consult him but go on with the work, present
the bill and get it paid.
James w. Hanna approved the plan of diyd-
ing the districts and Thought road ScrapcrS
should be used wherever possible.
Il. Harris Archer said the Darlington Road
League had shown what can BE- accomplished
by an experienced man properly provided with
tools.
c. w. Proctor, Clerk of the County Commits
sioners, said that if Il person were going to
build a house he would employ a man who
made a business of house-building. The same
rule will apply to roads. A man who makes
business OI WOFNlilg TDduS Will bcCOHlc pFOH-
Gent i'll it. If General Road Supervisor had
s or instead of 100 men to mend roads more
and better work could be done for the same
money.
5. NJ. Lee said he objected to any system of
mending roads after the list of May. From
one-third to one-hulf the road money is lost by
supervisors not understanding what they are
doing As much work could not be done with
the old appliances as can be done nov. with
road scrapers. There are but few places where
IL scraper will not work.
Mr.. Proctor, in reply to a question: stated that
during the last year, besides accounts for extra
appropriations on roads, over 700 road checks
were issued, each of which, according to
custom existing for many years, S1.25 was
charged for II days wor< in hunting hands and
returning the account to the Commissioners.
He estimated that from to per cent. of the |
road money was lost to the roads in this way.
He read the following statistics prepared for
the Chief of the Bureau of Statistics of Mary
land, showing how much has been spent for
roads and bridges in Hartford during the past