St. Paul daily globe., 1893-01-27
THEIR WORK IS DONE
Continued From First Pare.

sOfatlnlIcG EFOln E1pSl rage.
to the 81 assessment. The constitution
and bylaws are copied from those of
the association.
The committee OH finance, c. ID. Gill
tillan chairman, reported III favor OF
transmitting copy of the proceedings
to the legislature, with the request that
10000 copies be published for general
distribution.
L. J. Buell., from the committee on
resolutions, reported, ana the report
was taken up item by item.
The object is, as was enunciated by
the verbose chairman, to importune the
legislature to take cOgnlZance OF the
principles set forth in the resolutions.
The resolutions recommended the
abolition of the poll-taX system, aboli-
tion of township road supervisors, and
provision for the election of a chairman
Of the board of supervisors, whose ten
ure shall be three years, who shall have
charge of the roads. 1t was explained
that this latter idea is copied from the
Illinois law. The discussion revealed
the intention to elect one supervisor
each year for a term Of three years, so
that there shall always be two old men,
bers Of the board.
A delegate charged that more money
iS'SQuandered by the supervisors than is
put to good use in the construction of
roads. Amendments followed amend
mentS so fast that no delegate really
seemed to have clear conception OF
them.
Proceeding with the report after the
defeat of all amendments, the reS0lu
tons proposed a road tax OF from 3 to 10
mills in each township. Mr.. Grant. of
Pine cOunty,urged further increase of
the maximum limit Of taxation, upon
the ground that 20 mills is none too
great in the timbercd sections
Of the state. Eight mills is
sufficient for the prairie districts. Mr..
Grant WaXed warm as he proceeded in
his discussion Of his amendment. and
he made All eloquent plea to delegates
from prairie townships to give the tim
Dered towns an opportunity to build an
ordinary tote" road now and then.
The amendment was adopted. and the
next section provides that all bridges
costing 800 or more shall be county
bridges. but kept III repair by the town
ships. and the cost Of the same shall be
refunded to the townships by the
county. 1t was amended, after another
desutory debate, SO that the county shall
keep the bridges in repair.
The resolutions recommended a SyS-
TEN of assessing property benefited,
upon a two-thirdS vote. in cases of road
construction and maintenance.
A motion was made and seconded to
lie on the table. and this was amended
to strike out. Here was parliamentary
Snarl that the convention seemed to be
unable to unravel, and Mr.. Grant was
that the proposed revolution in the
present system would work a hardship
to no one. Under the present form of
law the money is taken from one man
to benefit another, and land spectators
are compelled, under the new system
proposed, TO pay a proportionate rate of
the cost. The motion to strike out was
lost.
Section provides for the taxation of
all railroad lands, and also subjecting
railway lands to special assessments for
street and other purposes, and the next
section provided for the sale of all
swamp lands unearned by any corpora
tion to which the same may
have been donated professionally,
be sold by the state and the
ton and repair Of roads. Mr.. Wood
ward, of Carlton county. moved the
proyiSo that the proceeds of swamp
land sales shall be appropriated to road
matters in the county i'll which they are
situated. This provision was adopted,
and then. after delegate called atten-
ton to the possibility that there was
woodchuciz in the section, the whole
section relating to swamp lands was
killed. The state constitution provides
for the appropriation Of all such funds
for educational purposes exclusively.
A delegate suggested that there are
good many spectators Oh the lookout
for these swamp lands.
The next section provided that all
roads, after having been used five years.
shall be legal highways, two rods wide
from the center to each side. 1t was
moved TO strike out, and this was adopt
ed and another section quickly followed
the same fate. 1t was the recommends
ton that a rebate in the taxes Of $3.50 a
year be given every man who uses
wagon with fOur-inch tires, and further
more, that after 1898 no man can use
tire for heavy traffic Of a less width than
four inches.
Then followed the usual vote of
thanks to the chamber of commerce,
the press and others.
Mr.. Bowlon, OF Ramsey county, Of
fered a resolution authorizing the
county to provide for the construction
of roads and bridges connecting the
cities and villages, but it was laid upon
the table.
John NJ. Reese, of Minneapolis. sub
mitted a legislative bill embodying the
suggestions made in A. b. Choate's
paper. Mr.. Reese and Mr.. Choate had
spent considerable time and thought in
drafting this act The bill was referred
to committee comprising Mr.. Reese
and the chairmen of the four standing
committees. A resolution was adopted
recommending the general adoption of
wide tires. as was resolution request
ing the legislature to facilitate road
drainage.
Rufus Cook, Minneapolis civil en-
gineer, read an interesting paper upon
stone roads, the two systems, Telford
| and macadam compared, common gravel
roads, draiD age, foundation, material
for wearing surface.
Road building has very properly
assumed the dignity of science" said
! he "lu the ever varying geological
| features Of this state there is variety
of material adapted to specific road
bniding. The leading idea we should
| follow in using this material Is to OBJ
| itan the maximum benefit from the
| minimum of cost"
AS to location. the speaker thought
there should be a readjustment of the
lines of roaas throughout the state, and
they should be located with regard to
the adaptability of the soil. The grade
of well-traveled road should not be
greater than foot in 50. One over
which there is considerable travel
should not have an ascending grade of
more than 300 or 400 feet. The drainage
OF road depended on the country
,frh univ HIa
natural drainage determines the
nature and size of all other
drainage. as culvertS and bridges. The
nature of the underlying strata of earth
must be considered, in order to secure
wherever possible an effective subdrain-
age. There must be connections at
suitable places along the road for an
overflow of The drainage. and these con-
nections must have receptacle into
which to empty sufficient to take care of
the volume of water that flows from the
| ,tar