The National tribune., 1892-09-08
OUR RURAL TOPICS.
Some Practical Suggestions for Our
Agricultural Readers
THE ROAD QUESTION IN MISSOURI.

The following report embodies the result Of
the deliberations OF the good-rosds conven-
ton held at Chillicothe, Mo. recently. There
was large display of road making machinery
on exhibition, and practical demonstration Of
the merits of various ditchers scrapers, leaders,
rollers, etc, was made upon the Gumbo Bot
toms of the Grand River.
eve recommend that roads be classified into
three grades or classes Macadam, gravel, or
turnpike roads shall be- Of the first class; we'll
graded or thoroughly drained dirt roads shall
be of the second class, and ordinary ditched
or graded dirt roads shall be of the third class.
Roads Of the first class shall be constructed in
sections of not less than one mile in length,
upon the petition Of a majority of the property
owners abutting the same. and not less than
% per cent. of the cost thereof to be paid by
said property owners or by voluntary subscrip-
ton. Roads Of the second and third classes
to be built entirely at the cost of the County.
Congressional district or municipal Towns az
nearly as practicable. shall constitute road dis
tricts, and roads shall be as nearly as practica-
Bile located on sectional or subdivsional lines,
and when not practicable on these lines then
County, and each district shall be in the
charge of and under the control of q road
master or employe of the County, who shall be
employed by and under the control OF tho
County Court.
We recommend that all the dram shop
licenses be diverted to the road fund of the
respective Counties in which they collected;
that the County courts in addition to poll
tax be authorized by law to levy and collect
direct tax upon the property of the County not
exceeding so cents on the 500, to be applied to
the construction of roads of the second and
third classes, and to levy and collect such
special tax for the construction of roads Of the
first class as the voters OF the County or any
road, district, or districts thereof may by vote
for that purpose determine the amount of such
tax being within the limit now permitted by
the Constitution. We would further call the
attention of our law makers to the enormous
amount of money annually expended by our
State and the various Counties thereof in the
payment in cost Of criminal cases, and would
recommend that our laws in relation to the
matter be so amended as to exempt the State
from the payment ofany costs in criminal cases
except for the services of officers, and that the
money go saved to the State, together with the
tax derived from foreign corporations, be d.
verted into a general road fund to be distributed
to the various Counties of the State.
" In view of the difficulty of raising money
in the various Counties by direct taxation
wherewith to build roads we submit to this
Convention the proposition of loaning the credit
of the State to the various COMMITTEES to tho ex-
tent of 10 per cent. of the assessed value Of the
property in said County in the way of bonded
Indebtedness for the purpose of building said
roads, and the submission of amendment to
our Constitution to accomplish that end"
P0ULTRP YAYs.
A year two ago a lady friend of ours, who
was keeping poultry in small way. kept an
accurate and regular account of her work for
one year, and kindly gave US the figures which
were nublished at the time and q friendig