The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-03-03
rhe MAs1e IN 80 aoAna

r,or,nous Wealth Worse 1N~n Thrown
Ava, d, Our System OF Eoasiniakin..
The subject of road Improvement Is
ore that viii be considered in every STATE
legislature TINT assemblies this yem. 1t
Is no longer a new topic. II has sprung
NJ once 10 the first rank Of iInpor,an'
and the popular interest shown ~ !
proof enough that the people have he
10 comprehend its immense iinpor
20 Thorn. The wastefulness Of Anon
life has lon. been fayorltc note OF Ne
amazed foreigner. but not IN any oth
dcnartnent az our common life Is III re
such n reckless and senseless expenditure
of money and effort to no purpose as III
the construction and maintenance OF
roads.
II the peoples of Europe were com
PEELED to reach village or market cs,
such highways as the dirt roads ot a'
country districts. they would starvc.
whole of the little profit that they
from their fields would not make gooo
difference between the cost of transl
tation over their smooth hard turnpi-.
and the cost of using the wretchcl
stretches Of mud and bog which consti
tute. at certain seasons Of the year. tn
only connecting link between one farm
house and another. and between either
and the centcrs Of village or city life.
1t is estimated that an ordinary horse
will draw a load three times as great
over macadam road as over dirt
road. The difference. which would br
the measure Of economy under system
of improved highways. is enormous II
is because the farmers are beginning TO
understand the meaning OF tins that the
road question is coming To the front
everywhere.
In view Of the fact that a state con
vention is to meet in st. Paul In acouple
of weeks to consider ways and means OF
road improvement. part Of the recent
message Of Governor Flower OF New
4 York which deals with this question viii
be read with interest. Governor Flower
conimends in the strongest possible Ian
ruare the matter of road improvement
to the legislature, and the argument that
he uses il the common and forcible one
drawn frce the real economy 10 be
found in an expenditure ofall the money
that would be required to furnish any
community with a system OF the best
roads.
To this purpose Le has enaeavored t.
get Approximately the cost Of maintain
ing tho ordinary dirt highway as We
know and see it. The residents of the
country are aware that tins, miserable
substitute for road though il be, il
maintained at heavy cost. Large sums
of money are expended in keeping II II
SO called repair. while the working
out of the road tax consumes the labo
of a great number Of men each year.
The repairs that are made under thu
system are worse than primitive. Tn
common system of repairing countr,
road consists in running n road plov
along the bitches at the side, throwing
M the sediment that has accumulate
there and the dirt that has been WASHES
down from the surface Of the highway
Then the shovelers throw this into III
middle Of the road. leaving open way
for the water courses on either side an
a soft dirt track in the middle
OF course this is ridiculous from TIA
roadmaker's point Of view. With the i4rs
rain the matter that has been deposte
on the surface becomes a clinging muc
which impcdes travel while the fe'
loads of stone ct brush dumped into II
worst places serve barely 10 make the
,asSable This is about all that Is III
dcrstood in this country by making an
mending roads. 1t is almost wholly Il