Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-01-23
Better Roads for Town and Country.

II is gratifying To note that the all.
important, but thus far WHOLLY -0eglect-
ID question of better roSds" has ss lass,
been taken up in this stsre, and l. is
greatly TO be hoped that the matter will
not b. allowed 10 rest until a general
public interest has been awakened tn
will result in practical benefit to the
commonwealth The suhi~et WAS con
sideTed few NIGHTS since at = panlic /
meeting of the pottlsnd Wheel Club, /
and from the lntt REST man ie>trd hy I
the c1usid 5rahle att-nd tnee of citizens,
it would appear thai the good woIk
starred and already accomplished la
some sections bv the League If ameri-
can Whee I'm n is b stoniug 10 Attract !
sttentiod here in Maize
The Portland meeliug was addressed (
by MIR. John Calvin Stevens, The we'll /
Known architect, and Chief Consul. !
ssir { Division, Of the Lesgue of Ames
icsn Wheelmeu. The /. 4. W. is Il rap
idly growing organization, numbering /
now about q. otA members. j. thoroughly /
EQUIPPED In all its departments, and
maintains state division with corps
IF appropriate officers in each ui the
several states Of the UnioO. Among the
most attractive and digniiied OF its
provement of COMMON roads, and il Is
in no small degree due to the efforts Of
the League that within the past yeer
| this matter OF better roads has received
the unqualified Endorsement of Wr'
many OF the most prominent men in the
country, that it has had the attention OF
ten or twelve state governors ia their
annual messages and that in nearly $
many states new bills have hteD pre-
| scented, intended to provide practical
forms and remedies.
: he need of b. tier methods in hu ldiug
| and maintaining city and suburban
streets. aud of reform and improN, III Mt
| in the construction snd repairs Of coun
try highways is quite keueraily con
ceded by city people aid courtry
jewellers alike But no systema'it Ell rt
Is msde to bring about II change t!on
the present practice, because Of the
common belief that any Improvement
would mean increased expense and
| therefore higher taxes The question
usually asked when this subj ct is sug
gested. is "Can we afford to build and
maintain high class roads? Is not ours
| a new country, and can we expect To
| rival the countries of Europe in the con
struction of costly Internal improv.
ments?" Mr. Stevens answers this
question bv the assertion that ours is not
n new country We are rich and
populous: We claim 10 be intelligent
and enterprisiUg; we have cleared
up our forests and exterminated the last
wi d beast from most states years ago.
while the French COVE Tnment is sull
paving yearly bounty for the pelts OF
slaughtered wolves \ glance at the
statistical returns of New York, Penr
sylvania, Massachusetts, New Jersey and
Connecticut, will show that the popua-
ton per square mile of these state 5 is
more than iitty per cent greater than
that of Europe while a dozen o.her stat :
might be added to the list without ma
terially changing the ratio. England
eNaets an average OF $50 per head from
each of her entire population, while the |
average tax per individual paid in the
| nited States, where the farmer and mt
chanic are better paid, better clothed and |
better fed than their European neighbors,
is but Sl2 80.
Says sir. Stevens: "a thing which |
your engineer will teach you is that
work to be done chcsIly. must he done
in Il sy stematic way; that the cheapest |
way to care for a road, and to keep il in
repair, is to place it in charge OF some
person who will be held responsible Tor
its condition throughout the eatire year.
In your township the roads are mended
or worked" once, or at tie most twice
a year, and for the balance of the ason
are neglected Even when the warm
weather OF sptiDg has dried up a consid
cradle portion OF the road SO rs TO make
it fairly passable, great mud holes NJ,
In mol h,.I
farmers frequently become stuck with
heavy loads, causing no end OF delay ana
trouble. The actual cost of repair OF
the common country road under our
"workingout" system is Immensely
great. than the cost of k, eping a simi
lar length of macadam road under
systematic plan; and worst OF all
through our want of Wedge both
work and materials IRE wretchedly mis-
applied, and in most cases practically
thrown away. A good roadbed pays
il saves power, shortens distance and
time. increases saeed. insures comfort
and safety, and is in whatever way you
state ii, good investment
The remedy MIR. Stevens suggests for
this state Of ail.irs in city and country
is For cities make the city engineer the
head Of the street department and thus
let him have charge of tulding and
maintaining the streets instead OF con
filming him to giving ines and levels, For
the STATE, outside the cities, hav. state
engineer who shall direct the building
Of the country roads. Divide the cost
so that the state at large shall pay
certain proportion of the cost, that
Chinly settled communities need not be
called upon to perform imp0ssibililies.
The public road is public property,
established by law for the use Of all
people.