The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-12-24
GOOD ROADS.
One of the Problems That Have Up
to This Time Not Been Solved.

to This Time Not Been Solved.
The subject Of good roads is one that
is now agitating the people Of this part of
our country particularly. 1t is too ques-
tion of the utmost Importance to every
person within the State who must either
travel upon them or pay taxes for them or
both.
Over $1,000, 900 is spent annually in this
State upon roads, and yet the work Is
done over and over again each wear.
superfci ally. As a rule the roadway
selected for public use is ploughed up.
scraped and beveled, or leveled up to a
crown, plenty OF coarse and fine gravel is
applied, and 1t is then rolled and called
finished. Ii a road can have constant care
sprln king in summer, and a judicious APP
plicati0n of gravel and rolling each
season. this will do, but not in all soils or
locations nor for all sorts of traffic.
The roads in the neighbn sood of the
sugaT-mill are Dever of tbs 1est, but this
year they are so badly cut up, on accoun
of the immense amount of teaming in
hauling the beets. that after the first heavy
storms of the season they were in a terri
BILE condition, and now, after this long
continued storm, they are simply impass-
able. To add to this long stable bridge
leading into Alvarado, nearly mile long,
which needed repairing has been torn up
and raised road built in its stead, with
culverts TO allow the regular annual over
flow to escape. Alvarado lies on the bor-
ders of Alameda Creek, near the bay.
where the land is all low aud level, and, by
the very nature Of things, when the creek
is very high, the country about overfiows.
This new road is now washing badly and
Is utterly impossible, while the old bridge
was always in good travelling condition.
In eDdeavorlng to benefit the road sys-
q t.ot "a <u xxyoc k.r,4
by which tue Supervisor OF district has
charge of all road work instead of a road
overseer who was formerly elected by the
people of each district. Under the new
law the supervisor must either attend to
the roads himself or may appoint an over
seer. 10 personally attend to the matter
himself would neceSsitate his travelling
about thirty miles day at 10 cents mile
to obtain the small sum of So, the maxi
mum amount allowed by law, leaving a
small margin of time for other official
duties; again it is not possible for Su-
pervisor to personally see the hundreds of
miles of roads in his district, to know how
they are being cared for, so he appoints
whom he may choose, and they are subject
TO his direction only. Under the old law
the road overseer was elected from each
road district st the local election, was
therefore resident of the district, and re-
cdlyed regular salary of Gin this section)
oOOuS %-O q nuOAtu3 anu was U6olU6o dUl6
to attend TO his other business.
Ii any change is to be made in road
laws. systematic method of making
roads and caring for them, according to
soil aud traffic needs, should be devised
and the work done under home super
vision, subject TO The approval of COM
pc ent engineers. Better roads mean
saving of expense to the farmer in the
wear and tear upon animals and wagons,
and saving in road taxes, as the annual
expense In repairing a good road could not
compare with the expense incurred an
nually under the present system. In parts
of this county. and in many other coun-
ties OF the State, the roads are sprinkled,
keeping them compact for winter travel,
and preventing to great extent the wear
and tear OF summer travel. The good re-
suits are especially noticeable in the rapid
Improvement In such communities and in
the decrease of taxes.
All of the hillsides from Raywards