The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1894-11-09
REGARDING GOODROADS
The Agricultural Department Will
Soon Give Out Its knowledge
on That Subject.
CONVICT LABOR FAVORED
In Preparation Of Material For Mac
adamizlng---Railroad Companies
Would Assist.

WASHINGTON, Nov. THE agricul.
tural department is about to issue
elaborate information on the subject Of
"good roads," which congress has di-
rected the department to investigate.
The publication will embrace the entire
proceedings of the National Road con-
ference, held at Asbury Park, N. j.,
July and + last, at which conference
every shade and opinion on improving
roads was presented. Mr.. Roy Stone,
the special agent and road engineer of
the department will also include a
number of addresses on the road ques-
ton. He makes no report, so that those
addresses practically constitute re-
port. Mr.. Stone says, among other
things:
How Can 1t BE Done.
'sThe main question is, how can
people having no surplus capital, build
good roads? For all answer we must go,
where they have done it successfully,
and study the methods. First, we
must study all the economies possible
in construction. Second, we must find
out all the parties to be benefited and
see that each bears his proper share of
the cost, whether Or not he belongs to
the immediate locality, OF even to the
| present generation Of men; third, we
must look into local questions of road
materials and transportation. and into
| all late improvements III road lmple-
ments and machinery.
The First Practical Step.
But who is to do all this? And that
brings us to the first practical step in
general road improvement, namely,
that every state should have perma-
nent commission composed of citizens
of the highest character to undertake
this investigation, and recommend the
necessary measures when adopted, and
to secure any possible improvement in
them. The next step is to make the
best possible convict labor in road
building. My own impression is that
/ state prison convicts will be best en-
ployed in the preparation of road ma
terials in quarry camps or gravel pits,
where they can be guarded and Sc
cluded as easily as in prisons, and that
county prisoners and tramps should do
the grading and all other preparatory
work on the roads.
In regions where rock is plenty, by
using the best machinery for crushing
stone, and employing the convicts only
in quarrying and handling it, an
amount of material could be produced
sufficient to macadamize all the roads
in the state as fast as they could be
prepared, and in addition, to furnish
ballast for the railroads as considera-
ton for their giving reduced rates OH
road materials.
Railroads Would Contribute.
OF their own motion, the railroads
are ready to contribute largely in this
E way toward improvement. In their
. correspondence with the department OF
agriculture on the subject, many have
: proposed to make half rates or haul at
:, bare cost whenever a general advance
+ toward road improvement shall begin
y and the state commission would be in 9
position to make better terms with
! them than any private individual ol
: local authority, and better than we
y could do on behalf Of the general gov
II ernment without the power to offer any
definite assistance on its part in return
miners Voted For Wilson.
:. BALTIMORE, Nov. "A special to
g The News, (Denl. from Fairmount,
a w. Va, says the coal miners of Marion
q county voted for Congressman Wilson
;, Chairman McGraw claims Wilson'S
"a election by 800 majority.
J, Onauad Will, Murdar