New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-28
ROADS AND TAXATION.
DEFECTS OF THE SYSTEM WHICH INTRrsrs
ROAD-MAKTNG To SMALL NEIGHB 1RioODs.


ROAD-MAKTNG To SMALL NEIGnB1 RIiOODs.
TO the Editor Of The Tribune
sir: In his second message 10 the Legislature OF
this state. Governor Flower said The study OF
good roads has excited remarkable Interest through
ont the country. by popular agitation and through
the newspapers the movement Is beginning to find
expression In state legislation. and II it goes With
lis present momentum will revolutlonizc conditions
now prevailing In nearly all rural localities.
II has long been admitted generally that present
system of highway Improvement Is indefcnsib", either
from the point OF view OF economy from the point
Of view Of efficiency let annual spasmodlc efforts
have been made here and there to establish pcrnln
ncnt and durable roads, or even TO change the anti
Quatcd method which has so long prevailed
in article furnished By Governor Flower TO the
New York number OF "Good Roads, for February,
1893. he says: The great obstacle to road improve
ment In Ncw-Y0rk State has been the continuance OF
the anquacd working system. whereby highway
taxes worked OUT by days labor. ! know
nobody who seriously defends this system; yet
II Is imbeddcd In custom and IN the law, and only
persistent agitation Will caac" It, The results OF
this system Just little better than no attempt
of Improvement all; the cost Is great enough to
pay for substantial stone roads. II seem. srn:"
that this condition OF things should 90 on Unchanged
yet 1t stil prevails in most towns Of the state. ana
a revolution toward better system only be-
accomplished after many efforts md mach ?J'lic
discussion. Ii has seemed to mo lllt IL ~" lH PIE
Of the state could have forced HON" to them -"
faces, first that good mn NJ e'av"l roads are
in the long run the cheapest. as regards both con
strllcilon and maintenance and second, that they
are inestimaby profitable, both In l"Sscnlng the
cost Of transportation and In Improving IN" value OF
property. It would not be- long before orr present
wrctchcd and dapdl; 81 dirt roads would l." r.
placed hy u line system Of Substantial Highways.
In the discussion Of the subject Of good roads four
have S...u a.
National rcld,-la laid ont through States and Terri
tories at national expense and under supervision oi
n national government bureau; second, state roads
laid out through In" counties OF state nj >lai" 'A
pens. and under State supervision; third Comfy
aa7-lad ont In each county connecting III" various
town, IN the COUNTY. built at county "Xpn'" ana
under the supervision OF the board Of suptNh rs,
Town roads laid out throurh each town At town c%
pcns". ana under supervision Of Town au'horin'S'
The Governor f. opposed 10 both the first ana second
rlaus and gives ~ II reason ior his oppo'i - tl'
second plan that lit would b" always criticised rs
political scheme. designed 20 serve the purposes ol
the party In power" lie coram'nd' 'h" county ROAD
system. ana I understand ~" Ill rc'h'N m'o
dnccd In The Legislature "mhoGyng The county ro'"
ide, I, Known a, Governor Flowers measure
a between state road and county road plans
tbc following argument In favor %, stat" roads seems
20 me- unanswcrahlr and ncontroycItl1'c lhe writer
s,vs ttnly fha, under the separate county plan the
roads would b. "a thing Of patches 10 remain sucA
unto cop,ra,lons unborn lie writes: While talk
ing o, road, In hi, message. Governor Flower might
nron,l,ly have called ATTENTION TO IL" decay IN the
,o.l Of agricultural land vllu" through M the Ha'"
relatively TO IN. total of city and town values, Now,
the total cost OF government, state ara county l.
apporioncd according 10 IN" assess n"ht i"'N. Inc
cities and towns ihus brcOm" yearly more ana more
the treasury mich for IA" support Of 'h' back
ward rural districts. Just as The city OF N"N-'orN
has long been In this sense h" mich COW 81 all the
r.si Of the stat In IT, contributions to the sh'c
% tae remaining and towns n" being
cilked for the county treasures. All have not only
the same -ort OF interest III arr"Siing TINS relative
decay Of the plough land. brt have also Ia" same
sort OF ricni TO enforce measures Tor arrcNuhs y
The ore obvious measure Is TO compel the oohS''"c'
ton OF ~ roads.
The eacc, Of such policy Is MT problcma'lcal'
,.,,h.r does II rest In thu domain Of IL Dry lhr
adjacent state OF NewJorsey Offers an object lesson
,ha, lie, open Ga" sky sine" Err COUNTIES ~
agreement pu, Into practice an enlightened i"'u P'N
their values advanced AT rates nVaing most VI
inc mo-, prosperous cities. To TAX" n sl'gl" hi"s'I.
,,on pcuty OF land In the oranges l. ready Tor sal'
., higher prices than prevail IN spots on THIS ralr
,,,,d y, Manhattan not that the last fgireS nre
ro.o..o1,v unduly low or the first unduly hlGh bnt
hos. oder GOOD road, aud al VI the rural attractions '"
which many ore susceptible. within less u'''""''
In time from city Hall. This illustration might I've
repeot.d indefinitely. bGt Il cannot b" necessary II
T., o,,ugh that policy makes for public prosperity
and general advantage 10 warrant itH 'h'"''''''''
whether those who destined to proh' most n'r'o.S
,,a Iorco,v hy 1, have The vii 20 discern us Ill
duane. mr. not, II communities are To hcirVr Pr"1
rcs. commensurate with their aNrrhs" H''''s'n"'
their pccc must not b. ,e, 10 tha' Oh '"' '"''
,,d. I'm, apart from this consideration, ulr
lawns have right to civilized communication WIZ"
one another. as we'll as TO the same sort o' 'o"'',
,,cncc within their corporate boundaries Nm"ns
their rustic neghtorS the lhpr'N''o" - e"''' ~
no such night exists
"t.ovrrnor Flowers RECOMMENDATIONS err u ~ "'
IN ,he side Of an ultra conservatism lie "oniu nave
tho construction ri roads put In cha'S' VI county
,,ri,,.s n. has hcsltatcd 10 - the I"hs''
of Governor I'm III recommending 'h"' wv '''' '
undertake main roads. That Governor liliS pa"
* thc wiser Is, however. proposition amply 'h
forced by experience. Under the separate '"""''
l,, what I, found to cnsuc Is this; The more '"
,,,,cnod counties build good roads within th'ir """
,ouuda rics Intervening counties bnid INFERIOR o"'
pro.per,y and progress WITHIN inc h"'' P'e'
coun,lrs ensue, II Is true. THIS l's'oh' p'""r
Governor Flower thinks. must hr'uS Nv '" "
,ar, bv their n.ghbors, WHO VIII shortly io'o" Il"
ox,mpl. who's advantage l. manifest rNP''""'
,,.r.,s the ,l.aaing vision. Human natuF" Is not
always built that way. Between Nv" 9u'h "''S".'
:, third Will drag out It's dowhN'h''' "'''' P
existence the refug. Of all the hu""" '"'" w ,'
miles II becomes pnbllc nuisance Il" |'
plaerlng all the nelehl"rlood "''"'i 'o"'",'
,nn tbcrc j. no remedy the principle has D''h
,od ina, IN, county l. the sovereign poitc'l
upit with reference 10 its own roads. Inc 'N' "'"
exIs,,nc i'm which the road district Is 'h' unit u
d,m,nishcd II is true. but IN lis hoaincu 'o'" J.
nerpc,uatcd. The state road system WIN" - Nv"
a hing OF holes and tatters, becomes Il 'h'"B VI
matches TO rcnnin such unto generations uh"or"' VI
,a,.h,r po,ices in matters OF political remedy IL Is
no new remark that the decoction Is oi'eh 100 "''A
70 purge. but strong enough TO weaken u.s.
" ) BuIl. Of Buffalo. writes; 1T Is necessary
boweycr in orr State that some gninihg anu over
seeing director should maintain uniformly y, ,',
,,nn, IN. .sev.ro, counties and keep them In touch
ut,h zach other and for this reason | am III iaVof
Of n general state supervision Of III" main rolu''
say II Is necessary that this direction should o pro-
vided because the experience OF other countries haS
proved this necessity 80 often as 70 pace II wynn"
contradiction. An examination VI 'nc 'o"
80 obi