The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-02-01
Good Roads.

| Good Roads.
Since the question Of good roads is at
tracing such general attention ] have
thought perhaps an article on this subject
might call out some valuable hints and per-
| haps sat our lawmakers to thinking on the
subject. No class of citizens of our great
commonwealth ought to be more interested
| in the question of good roads than the
farmer. and yet, perhaps no class give the
matter so little consideration and study.
Under our present ''labor system" the needs
of the roads have very little to do with
| working out of the tax. The road districts
in most townships have never been reOrgan-
lied since the organization OF the township,
| but have been divided and subdivlded and
new ones created as new roads were laid out,
without giving the ques ion of equalizing
the amount Of highway labor thought In
fact it is not a difficult task to find new
roads flom One-fOurth TO One-half mile in
length which have never been as igned to
to any road district, also road district
without an lnhabitaDt living within its
bounds. There is such varied difference
III the size OF road districts and from thirty
to fifty in a township. and the labor tax Is
wholly in tho hands of the Overseers, much
of which is never worked and large per
cent indfierently done, so that the highway
commissioner really does not supervise the
work at all.
comparison Of the cost of eXpendlng
the labor tax with a money tax system,
perhaps would give US some points worth
studying The labor tax is one days work
TO every $500 valuation. Suppose town
ships valuation is 100000. This would
give us 1000 days work on the highways of
sal d township, or if not worked and prop.
erly returned by the overseer to the COM
mi ssiOner would give us one dollar for each
day not worked. But the facts in the case
do not bear us out to this much desired end,
quite the contrary. Suppose Mr.. A. has an
assessed valuation of $1,000 his labor tax is
ten days, il worked. If not worked and
properly returned 1t is $40 added to his
other taxes. But suppose Mr.. a. works
wagon and plOw, each expecting to be credit
ed with four days or 81 on his tax, as team,
wagon and pillow count the same as one
man. He works his tax of ten days in two
and one-half days or in so hours, counting
one day for each eight hours for man. te am,
wagon and pillow. The same outfit could
have been hired under the money tax sys-
tenn for ten days Of ten hours each for So so
per day. or Sc IS for 100 hours work, four
correspondence has evidently not written
what he intended toor else he figures wrong
Ed. lmaking saving ON AS tax alone of So. rs
in favor Of the money tax system with TWEEN
| ty hours more labor performed. Now sup
pose the district Is large and from six to
eight teams are drawing sand from the same
pit, or IL grading is being done who shall
estimate the amount of time lOitered away
In story telling. or In one team waiting for
another to move out of its way.
To show the loss to the highways in a
township such as we have mentioned. We
have shown loss on AS tax of So rs, but
not to be too hard on the present mode of
working out the tax, we call it So. 90 loss on
| AS tax, and il it held good all over the
town land we think it willy, it would give
us loss Oil the township OF $500 in money
and the loss in the number of hours worked
would be on the 1000 days 1000 hours or
200 days equal to $500 more. Anyone who
knows the valuation of the county can est-
mate the loss to the county.
| There are many other reasons why a
money tax system would be preferable to
the present law. The work as now done,
If done at ALL Is nearly all done at once, and
the roads left to care for themselves the
balance of the year. Whereas to insure
good roads they need constant supervision
all the year round. "a stitch in time saves
nine," is an old adage but nevertheless a
true one. Much labor is lost irs not
being done In season. With money tax
and larger road districts the whole town.
ship would have the benefit of improved
road making machinery; and an equalizng
of the labor on all the roads would result in
improving all the roads of the township.
will close this article by giving a de-
scription of two or three road districts in
my own town. One has one and one-half
miles of oroad oyer one-half of which is a
causeway with three small bridges, with ten