The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-12-30
COUNTRY ROADS.

COUNTRY ROADS.
IN Arg umcnt Against tho State Coutroa
of Same Ohio Road Commission Files
Their Report with the Governor.
CoLuMBus, o., Dec. 2i.--The report
,f the road commission, appointed
lnder authority of house joint reso-
ution, was fled with the governor
Wednesday.
An abstract of the report is as fol.
lows:
The two largest factors in the prob
lem of improving our common roads are,
6rst, the enormous cost of such i'm.
provements in the aggregate, If the sys-
tenn is coextenaive with our territory,
and second, the excessive cost of trans
portation over such roads, IL animal
power is to be applied. The mileage Of
common roads in the state of Ohio may
be approSinated at $4,000 miles. The
cost of suitable niprovementwou be,
In some sections, $4,000 per mile; in
others it would cost as little as $4,000
per mile. If we have an equal amount
Of each kind that may make an average
cost of $4,000 per mile. Snpposing this
could be reduced to $4,000 per mile on
the average IL would still cost the
enormous sum of 100000, 900 to inn.
prove all the roads in the state.
The governor Of New York, in the
North American Review for November,
1893, in speaking OF a national system
(Which he condemns on account of its
excessive burdens) says: "The cost
would be inconceivable. Tho task Of
constructing them would overwhelm
the government. 1t would necessitate
the employment Of larger army Of
men than was engaged in the war OF
the rebellion.
Such burden should not be under
taken by the state, in the aid of transpor-
tation, unless it is reasonably certain
that the benefits to be derived from IL
are greater than the burden to be as.
sumed. 1t is not so easy to estimate
the benefit of road improvement as II
is to estimate the cost, for these bene-
fits are mostly indirect, appearing in
the increased value of land and the in
creased comforts OF life. They add
greatly to the social and moral influ.
ences which make for higher civiliza-
tion.
When it was discovered that the cost
of transportation over a free wagon
road, built and maintained at the pub
lie expense, was more than ten times as
much, both in time and money, as the
cost of the same transportation over a
railroad receiving no public aid, the
national road" soon became thing
of the past The fate of the national
road" will be the fate of the state
roads. 1t would be mistaken policy
for the state to improve wagon roads
between distant places with view o1
cheapening transportation between
these places more than can be done by
wagon roads with any amount of pub
lie money.
The commissioners say that without
going into an exhaustive discussion o1
the subject, we are convinced that ma.
tional or state aid is unwise and that
with the governmental machinery ex'
listing in Ohio, the county authorities
are the proper ones to manage road
construction and that the necessary
funds should be raised within the linn
it's of the county where the roads
are built. The community of in
terest in county is such that it may
properly be considered unit in the
/ matter of road building, and the fair
est plan for all concerned is, perhaps
to assess portion of the cost upon the
abutting land and place the balance
upon the general tax duplicate.
The tendency of legislation in Ohio
of late has Leen to pass special law.
authorizing townships and counties tc
construct roads, and placing the greater
part of the cost upon the general taz
duplicate.
There seems to be a general dissatis
faction with the law by which road
taxes are worked out by the citizens
living along the roads This is Gus
tom surviving from early days, and ye'
we are unaware Of any plan that coulG
be substituted and meet with approva
from those directly interested. Th'
trouble here, perhaps, is not so mucf
with the law itself as with the manner
in which it is executed. With efficien
| officers, better results could no doub
be obtained. 1t is undeniable that th'
time, labor and money expended il
working" the roads, if properly used
would put our roads in far better con
dition than they are.