The morning call., 1893-12-09
GOOD ROADS.

A paper recently written by Governor
Flower of New York on the subject of
highroads is well worth reading in this
State, where we have about the worst
country roads in the land. Governor
Flower says that roads must be made
either by the national Government. which
will not undertake the task; or by the
State Government, in which case the road
bureau would become source Of extrav-
agance and corruption; or by the towns,
which would require the cooperation of
two or more towns not often friendly to
each other. or by the counties. To this
last plan he finds fewest objections appli-
cable, and he quotes the provisions OF the
statute passed by the last Legislature Of
New York as a good example to follow.
The statute provides that the Board of
Supervisors OF any county may formally
adopt the county road system and desig-
nate as county roads such highways as
they may deem best for the purpose out
side of the limits of Incorporated towns
and villages. Thereafter the expense of
keeping these roads in repair shall be a
county charge, and the necessary amount
for the purpose shall be appropriated each
year by the County Supervisors.
The bill was at first opposed by the
New Y ork farmers on the ground that It
would increase taxation. But when they
were told that convict labor might be en-
ployed for the purpose they withdrew
their opposition. They were all in favor
OF good roads, provided some one else was
to pay for them.
The proposition TO use convict labor on
the roads in this State is not new, and. so
far as Is known, is approved by those who
have considered it seriously. 1t would
have the double advantage of silencing
the cry of the labor unions against convict
labor. and of comforting upon the State, in
course of time, system Of roads so we'll
built as to cheaper transportation. II the
convicts in the county jails and State PEN
itentiaries were set to work building roads
on the Telford plan. we might have in the
course Of few years a good system of
highways in the principal counties A
few co Dvicts would escape, but an example
or two would minimize the number of run
aways. and at any rate the convict popu-
lation would return something for what
they cost.
Since the introduction Of railroads high
roads have attracted less attention than
formerly. But the number of persons Who
use highroads is far larger than those who
travel by rail; the quantity of freight is
also much greater. The farmer or fruit
grower who sends his crop to market by
rail reaches the railroad over q highroad,
and the maintenance of the latter In good
condition is at least as important to him
as the cheapening of railroad freights.
His team will haul twice as much stuff
over good level road as 1t can move over
road full of ruts and mud. 1t is not too
much to say that il the country roads in
this State were put In good repair it would
make as much difference to the farmer al
a copious rain after season of drought.
We have not the same reason as the
Romans had for building good roads.
Their object was to facilitate the move
ment Of armies. But our situation is the
same as that through which England
passed when the turnpike trusts were es-
tablished, and the engineering ability of
Macadam was called into requisition to
make the roads passable. Eighty years
ago. while England had magnificent faciii-
ties for shipping goods from her seapprts,
II cost nearly all the goods were worth to
get them from far inland to the seaports
over roads which were In the most horrible
condition of decay. The subject was
taken up by Parliament, and the repair
ana reconstruction of the principal high
roads were made the subject of several
acts. The consequence was that in the
course OF few years the kingdom had
system Of roads which made transporta-
tion easy and cheap. How much Eng
lands internal commerce owes TO her good
roads it is difficult to say, but the obliga-
tion Is large.
The science of road building has now
reached point which is almost perfec-
ton. A roadbed of broken stone ham,
mered down till the fragments almost
unite, and laid upon two feet of granite or
sandstone, with deep ditches on either
side for drain age, kept in constant repair,
and relieved at the bottom of hills by ho-
lows for the reception of surplus water
this can be hardly improved upon. With
suitable supply OF labor many miles of
nod ha hn,l