Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1895-02-28
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IMPROVEMENT.
ROAD EDUCATION.

Some of It Is Needed by Every Man and
Woman In the Country.
That the subject of good roads is in.
teresting people in all parts of the
country is not surprising, considering
what loss of energy, Mort. time and
money is sustained by all classes on
account of bad roads. or at least roads
not nearly as good as they might be
even with the appropriations made
by towns and cities for building and
sustaining public highways.
That the several systems now in
vogue, experience proves to be unsatis-
factory, expensive and bad, there is no
doubt.
Most of the loss sustained in main
tanning roads is from want of knowl-
edge as to the best methods.
Commissioners should be appointed
by the several state governments, com
posed of men of the highest scientific
anu practical attainr .nts on the sub
ject, and by their reports, lectures and
other means give public instruction,
and to local road commissioners, and
whose duty it should be to examine diff
ferent localities ard advise as to the
most practical and efficient means OF
improvement in each locality, as differ
ent conditions and requirements need
different methods of building and re-
pairing roads.
The practice of many towns in allow
ing all who wish to work out their
highway tax is but little better than
highway robbery.
Tho lIca ~ rnoI ,Vao n; x,oe ~, 81 ., :,
parently doing large amount of work
does not DO the best work, as they do not
discriminate in the material applied in
grading the road, for they scrape up
what happens to be at the roadside,
which is usually loan or sand. that in
wet weather makes mud and in dry
weather dust, and soon finds its way
back to where it comes from.
Doubtless a macadamized road is the
best, but the cost makes them imprac-
teal in some states except in cities
and main streets of large towns.
In most towns of Massachusetts we
fortunately have abundance of good
gravel that with judicious use of the
highway appropriations generally too
meager) would make very much better
roads than we have, but too often
material wholly unfit is used because
more cheaply and easily handled.
There is no way by which money can
be expended to better advantage than
by putting in tile drains in the center
of the road, particularly where there
are spring hills or a moderate descent.
and emptying into culvert at the
lowest points. 1t is Surprising that
this plan is not more generally
adopted.
Our fathers of seventy-five or hun
dred years ago built long lines of turn
pixies straight over hills and along val
leys. 1t has since been ascertained
that it is often nearer round a hill than
over it, and affording an opportunity
for comparatively level road.
1t has been suggested by many that
the general government should build
the principal highways in a thorough
manner Ito save the expense to the
people," But when it is considered
that the people are taxed in some way
to meet government expenses, and that
our general government does work in
the most expensive manner for the ends
accomplished, it may be wen to look
at this scheme from a more economical
standpoint.
1t is believed that with the amount
of money annually appropriated for
highways, if intelligently and honestly
expended, our roads should be infinite
ly better than now, and this would
lead to a recognition of the great com
fort and advantage, to all classes. of
good roads, and thus encourage
greater appropriations to meet the de-
mand for still more improvement.
Hence the need of more knowledge in
road building benjamin p Ware, in
Good Roads.