The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-02-08
Good Roads Again.


The article in last weeks issue OF THE
TIMES on the subject ct good roads CON-
lnends itself to every thinking mind. The
facts are that az II is now our road tax Is
''sOldiered" out aud not worked out. 1t IL
common FEELING among turner's that all
time spent on the Rad h so much lost labor.
and as q consequences the average work done
does not exceed one quarter the amount thar
could be done with money tax.
pillow. that may OF may not be used half
an hour, and drag anda wagon and man
and team count day each. making six
days credit for what should he one day
with man ana team. So so. Again. accord
ing to the plan usually pursued by the aver
age road worker. one good man and team.
working to see how much they can do In a
given time, will accomplish more In halt
day than the one who Is trying to kill
time would in day and half. and do it
better.
The customary Way is for the pathmaster
to warn out all workers some time in the
spring when II suits his convenience, and as
the time when road work ought to be done
all dirt ought to be moved before the first
OF July-happens about eorn- hOeing time. n
the ones warned out or any portion OF them
are busy in their corn, they don't respond
but are allowed to go on alone. perhaps, and
make believe work OLt their tax, and so the
work is mOnked with and the roll finally
returned as worked, when In fact half of It
has been creditt out instead of worked out.
There is small doubt that money tax of
one quarter of the amount now assessed
would do more work over the country ana
put it where IL is needed, and be more salts
factory to the farmers themselves, to say
nothing of the travelling public. AS your
correspondent very truth'u ly observes, tie
roadwork and the districts are very uu-
equally app0rtioned, SO as rule where the
most work Is needed the least tax is assessed
and unless the highway commissioner has
his attention called 10 some special piece of
work he pays NO more attention to the roads
than he does To the moons of Jupiter
There are old grey headed mudholes aroui
in this vicinity that have stood right in the
middle of the road and have been traveied
around and through for forty years or more
and have caused profanity enough to sink
them to the center of the earth, when half
an hours work with man and team would
have eradcated them for all time.
THIS of course Is the fault OF pathmasters,
who follow in the footsteps OF their illustri-
Gus predecessors, no matter what they do
and who, as rule are elected aud reelected
for the reason that they are easy on The
road-wOrkers or for general pig headedness.
Ii is an absolute tact that The average path
master knows nothing about road making |
and generally makes out to leave the high |
way worse off than he found it, with an
especial effort-and thise veryOne knows--tO |
avoid leveliDg off the surface where dirt has
been dumped and leave it to be smOothed
pff 10y cart wheels aud profanity. This they
never fall on, when drag and team or man
and hoe would level it in fifteen minutes
Never leave days work Oh the road until
you smooth it down, for the work you in
end to do tomorrow never is done.
This matter OF good roads is everybody's
business, and consequently never done, but
he law provides way of escape from the
present horrible condition of affairs and it IS
o be hoped that people will continue to
'gitate this question persistently and per-
actually OF until we have a change, which,
10 matter what it is, must be for the better.
SCIOTA.
=. S.--These pathmasters who make false
eturns on their rolls ought to be prosecuted.