Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-01-21
MODEL STATE FOR ROADS
a NETWORK OF MAGNIFICENT
HIGHWAYS IN NEW JERSEY,
The Legislation Which Has Accom-
plished This-The Commonwealth
Aids the Local Authorities,

r. New Jersey State Commls-
sioner of Public Roads, said,
recently, that some additional
legislation will be attempted in the in
terest of good roads, and that in the
future good roads will be an import
ant factor in politics.
New Jersey was the first State, the
Commissioner says, to enact laws for n
permanent system of roadways, in
which the State came to the aid of
municipalities by q State fund to assist
in building good roads. Sixteen other
States have within the last three years
attempted to aid in the building of
good roads, but New Jersey alone has
laws that can be carried into practical
use.
Five or six years ago New Jersey
had a patchwork road system, as Es-
sex, Union and Passaic Counties had
special road laws and the other 435
townships in the State had different
systems of working roads, and often
five or six systems in each township.
The first law passed to amend the sys-
tenn of road working in the State was
to enable townships to issue bonds to
macadamize or telford roads The
next law abolished the old system OF
overseers, whose control OF the work
ing of the roads was absolute, and
placed such power back in The hands
of the people. These two laws give
into the hands of the inhabitants OF
the townships the working, care and
control of all the roads in such town
ships.
The first years State aid to roads
amounted to 500, 900; second, S7j, 600;
third, so, 900, and this year the same
sum. Under the STATE aid act, the
owners of the lands along the roads
improved pay ten per cent. Of the
cost, the State 80 per cent, and the
county the balance, 5Gs per cent,
which, under the decisions OF the
courts, the Board OF Freeholders of
the county in which the roads are
built shall raise by county tax or
bonds.
These three laws are the basis of all
good roads legislation of New Jersey,
and these have worked all the in
proved roads in the rural districts.
Mr.. Burroughs said that the roads on
the South Sea Islands are rs good as
any in the world, and are worthy
models for other people to follow.
The cost of building roads has been
greatly reduced within three years, as
the width of the country roadways
first laid was not less than sixteen
feet, now twelve feet wide, stoned ten
to twelve inches depth. Another style
of road for heavy travel is only ten
feet wide, stoned ten to twelve inches
in depth, with grass wings on the sides.
Such a roadway has been in use
three years, and is in good order, even
where loads of five tons are transport
ed over it. On roads where there is
no heavy travel the width may be only
eight feet, stoned ten TO twelve inches,
with wings two feet ON each side,
stoned six inches. 1t has been ascer-
tanned that the cost of telford road
is no more than q macadam, though
at first contractors charged from ten
to twelve cents more per square yard
for telford.
In Camden County, in 1898, it cost
81. is to lay square yard of twelve
inch stone road, but in 1894 the cost
of the same was only seventy nine
cents. For siX-inch stone roads, in
Camden County, IN 1898, it was
eighty cents; in 1894, forty-two
cents, and in Gloucester County
thirty-nine cents n square yard. This