St. Paul daily globe., 1894-07-15
GOOD ROADS OoNvENr1oN

The convention which met on the 5th
at Asbury Park TO continue the agita-
ton in favor OF the Improvement of the
common highways of the country was a
surprisingly large body, having dele
gates i'll attendance from every state in
the Union. The agitation was begun
few years ago by Col. Pope, the head of
the Columbia Bicycle company, and
doubtless had its root in business in
Stincts. The "bke" had demonstrated
that 1t was not merely toy, but had
become one of tue useful instruments
of travel. Col. Pope saw that its use,
and consequently its market was largely
restricted 10 the cities, where paved
streets or good roads made its use fea-
sible, and that,if it were to be extended
to the country districts. its introduction
would have to be preceded by improved
methods of constructing aud keeping
in repair the country roads. This is one
of the rare instances where selfish
interest becomes identified with public
interest and valuable adjunct in pro-
noting the latter.
The care of country roads is every
body's business. and consequently is
nobody;S business. While each indi-
vldual land owner is desirous of having
good roads, lie limits his desire to those
roads on the land of every other person
but himself. He is insIstent that the
highway running across his land shall
occupy the poorest and least valuable
ground. BY an unfortunate coincidence,
this kind of ground is that least suited
for road. In the regions where the
ground is broken by hills and valleys
the land owners insist that the road
shall run along the hillSides. instead of
occupying either the highest or lowest
points, with the result that such roads
are troughs to catch and carry the rains
that sweep down the watershed. Road
builders seems to act on the theory that
water is the friend instead of the enemy
of highways 1t is.
Our road laws are designed. apparently,
OH the plan of how best not to do it. We
have provisions for state roads which
are never put to use, and county roads
which might be made useful if made
county charge, but the unit of the sya-
tenn is the provision for town roads laid
by local supervisors and worked" by
taxes levied by the town meeting and
commuted by the labor of those having
to pay them. The innate disposition of
our race to shirk taxes displays itself
here as elsewhere. and the spring and
fall periods of road work, TO which are
given the intervals when farm work is
least pressing, become sort of vacation,
where men meet and chat and gossip In
the shade OF the fences or the trees, and
pay their road tax in true capitalistic
fashion. What work is done might bet
ter be left undone. The land is bac k
furrOwed and the loosened dirt put in
the best possible condition to be distrib-
uted by the succeeding rains and gouged
into mudholes by wagon wheels. One
half of the tax annually levied and
wasted, if collected in money and ex-
pended under intelligent direction,
would in a very few years make the
county roads of the state a source of
pride Instead OF disgrace.
The problem of good roads, every
where a difficult one, is nowhere so
difficult as in the broken surfaces of
was delegate to the Asbury Park con-
vention, and said that the agitation for
good roads which had been going ON for
several years had resulted in a remodel
ing of the road laws in that state. Roads
are laid out under the supervision of
Skillful engineers. and road commis-
siorer put in charge of the roads in
each town. The commissioners of the
several towns hold frequent confer
ences, where. with the engineers, the
question of road construction under the
varying conditions of soils and location
Is discussed and the best methods aScer-
tanned. Mr.. Stone represented the SIC.
retary OF agriculture, Under whose au-
spices the convention was held, anl
gave the convention some valuable in
formation in regard to the cost of poor
roads. Five hundred million tons of
produce are annually hauled over dirt
roads III this country from the farms L.,
the market at the cost of 81 Il ton for a.
average distance of eight miles, 90 per
cent of which cost is due to the batlnes.
Of the roads. He estimated that tre
average value or farms is diminished
per cent by the same ause. aad that IN
total annual loss from poar roa,I
reaches the enormous sum ,If StjDJ, ,vuiI.
Ut0anpually
Our entire road system needs ri.Itea.
reformation. On whatever Hines clIi,ng
ruus, they should De in the direction u