The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1892-06-07
Dirt Roads.


1hAt huAucs
Manufacturers Record.
The one phase of the road inn
provement question, which is of the
most vital Importance to the major
ity of the people in this country.
and particularly in the South and
West, is that which relates to the
construction and maintenance OF
our common dirt roads. The ideal
country highway is smooth, firm,
macadamised or telford pike, scien-
ti6eally constructed aud carefully
maintained, but there are compara-
lively few sections of the country
where there is a large population
that sufficient money can be raised
to pay for the construction of these
bigh-class roads. The common dirt
road is now, and must be for years
to come, the chiefdependence of the
great masses of our population. As
population increases, the coDstruc
ton of high class roadsis made pos
sible, but it is not practicable nor
indeed desirable to impose burden
some road taxes upon the inhabi-
tants of sparseIy settled sections of
the country. If macamized roads
are TO be built in such sections, they
must be built otherwise than by
local means State or government
aid or some other outside means
must be provided for the construc
ton Of high. class roads under such
conditions.
1t seems, therefore, that the dirt
road calls for the larger share of
attention at the present time, and
the most practical work that can be
done by the advocates of road inn
provement lies in the education and
instruction of the country people
upon the subject of dirt roads. A
dirt road, properly built and main
tanned, will answer every purpose
of a macadamised pike in the ma
jority of cases, and the first cost of
the dirt road is far below the cost
of a pike on the McAdam system.
The most serions lack in our pres
ent road system and one which
more than anything else has Brought
the dirt road into disfavor is the
absence of suitable road laws. 1t is
generally conceded that the old
system of working out taxes is a
wasteful and inefficient manner OF
constructing highways. tits waste.
full both from the point of1view OF
the farmer who works out his taxes
and from the standpoint of the COM
munity which permits this method
of payment. Work is done neither
as well NOR systematically in this
manner as when it is performed by
paid labor. Far better results can
be obtained when the farmer pays
his road tax in cash, and the con
struction and improvement Of the
county roads arc done under a con
tract. The contract plan of build.
ing roads carries a saving in time
and in labor, and gives q better
road upon which smaller expendi
lures of money and labor for repairs
will be necessary. In the North
and more particularly in the East
the road making question has beer
worked out to fairly systemati,
basis, but in the West and South
in those great stretches of new
country where sparse population
affords but little money for expcnd
iture upon roads-there is opportn
nifty and necessity for vast improve
ment- Never before, however, hai
this matter received so much atten
tion and so much careful though
from those directly concerned as a
the present time. This is a gooe
sign, ana with all this attention cen
tered upon the subject great gooc
is sure to result
aMy husband received a note to
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