The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-04-07
OUR COUNTY ROADS.
WHAT A STATESMAN REPORTER SAW
ON A DRIVE.
The Rock Crusher and all the County
New Macadamized Roads Visited
and Carefully InsF ected-Let
the Good Work Continue.

questions in the politics of Travis
county just now is the question OF
good roads. The farmers are of nee
essity interested in them from the fact
that with good, we'll graded roads
they are enabled to market
their products at a geat saw
ing of time and consequent
expense, while the merchants of Aus
tin want to see them as it opens up a
greatly enlarged market for their
goods. That it has been and is still
an issue, especially in the office OF
county Judge, hardly any one will
deny. 1t was one of the issues on
which Judge Won Rosenberg made
his race two years ago, and it is one
of the subjects which that gentleman
has given his attention during the
time he has been in office, aided and
assisted as he has been by the COM
missioners court, composed of Major
John w. Brown, G. A. Pace, G. A.
Newning and G. w. Thorp, the body
at whose order all improvements in
the county are made and over which,
as provided by law, Judge Won Rosen-
berg presides.
The STATESMAN reporter has heard
many statements in regard to the
new roads built by the county during
the last year or SO, but it had
never been his fortune to see and drive
over them for himself, so on last Fri
day morning he started out on tour
of inspection and the following is the
result of the observations then made.
The first point visited was the rock
crusher, located ON the county poor
farm and is run by the county con-
victs. Its introduction was an idea of
the present commissioners court and
It's workings up to the present time
iully prove their wisdom and good
Judgment in establishing it. Hereto
| fore the convicts when unable to pay
their fines have had to lay them out
| in jail at the rate of so cents per day
and the county not only got no benz
| fit from them but was at an enormous
expense to feed and maintain them.
When the reporter drove up to the
camp he was met by Mr.. Monroe
Sawyer, an old and ex-
perienced road man and a
careful and efficient officer, who is in
charge of the convicts. The gang
under him has for sometime past been
at work on the Merrilltown road, and
has for the space of about HOO yards
road as can be found anywhere in
this state. 1t runs along the county
poor farm property, and covers strip
of road which in wet weather was
about the worst and deepest mudhole
in the county. Now it is hard and
firm, made entirely Of crushed rock,
laid on a carefully and well graded
road bed, and over it can be hauled
the heaviest loads as easily as though
they were on u paved street.
On Friday, after the hard rain Of
Thursday night, the men were not at
work on the road, the ground being
too soft for hauling, but they were not
resting by any means. The county
sent them out to work and Mr..
Sawyer sees that they are kept at it.
The supply of stone is practically in
exhaustible and one gang was busily
engaged in getting it out, breaking it
up and hauling it to the crusher
where it would be all ready for use
when active operations were resumed.
The question naturally arose in the
reporters mind as to whether or not
there was any saving or expense to
the county in utilizing the labor of
her convicts, and Mr.. Sawyer was
asked about the matter. He at once
pulled out lot of books and prepared
himself to give the scribe far more
detailed information than he could
use in week. 1t might be well to
state here that since Judge Won
Rosenberg assumed the office he has
brought about revolution in the way
of keeping the county's books. 1t is
rather complicated system but it's
benefits can readily be seen when
it is known that every fund is
kept separate and distinct from every
other fund; every cent of expense ard
income from whatever source has its
place and it is put there and kept
there. In fact the system is as per-
feet and accurate as that kept by the
largest bank. From Mr.. Sawyer's
books the following interesting items
were CLEANED as the work of his force
for March:
The average number of convicts per
day was IA 3-5, while the number of
days worked was 432, which, at so
cents per day (the amount allowed by
law would amount to $216.
The average number of hired men,
including superintendent, engineer,
guards, drivers, etc., per day, was
10 7-1O; total number of days worked,
800 at an expense of $278.83, or an
average per man per month of $40. O5.
The amount paid for board for the
month was $132 for 754 days, estimat-
ing one day for each man or II %
cents per day per man.
The above figures speak for them
selves, but it might be well
to make comparison with
the state of affairs now and
what they were when the men were
left in jail. Unuer the old conditions
the IA convicts per day would
have cost the county 80 cents each
per day (the amount allowed the
sheriff for board) or S153.3O for the
month without the county getting a
single cent in return. By utilizing the
convicts the county saved the expen-
diture of the difference between the
two board bills-$20.66 for the month;
saved the expense of boarding 10 40
hands, and in addition the county