The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-01-30
OUR HIGH AVS.
Progress Of Roadbui1ding
Throughout the Counties
of New Jersey.
NO LONGER MUD AND MOSQUITOES
Beneficial Results to Cities Having
Good Roads in Their
Ratables.

Ratables.
1t is rather amusing to note how far
the fame of Jersey mud and mosquitoes
has Travelled. These two undesirable
possessions lave lofig been the butt OF
comic journals and humortsts. Why, If
the Jersey mosquito hould become ex-
terminated, and mud become a thing Of
the past, you would hear but little of the
State whose peaches and berries have
but little fame compared with the soil
from whenc they grew, and whose game
1t is reported, is hunted by sound.
Mosquitoes are a necessary evil. but a
number of the wisest brains in the Gtate
have grown weary in their efforts to
lift their State from the m-re and reduce
the mud to its proper level. That is the
trouble with mud it is always found
where it is least needed and it is the
plague of the traveller. No one complains
OF mud where 1t is combined strictly to
the meadows and cutters. There Is It's
proper level. But when it comes to ilnd-
ing teams a foot deep in the clayey soil,
or what is as bad. line sand. there is
crying need for vigorous measures for.
due preservation OF travel during those
months when the mud is most unduly
prominent.
To see the most successful subsection
of this unruly element, a visit should be
| paid to some of the northern counties
Of New Jersey at that period when the
frost is reluctantly withdrawing itself
from its stronghold, and making every
thing in great disturbance on every hand
Go through Essex, Union, Hudson and
parts of Passaic and Morris counties,
and rejoice in the triumph OF mind over
matter, while contemplating the splendid
roads in which these localities rejoice,
and most justly.
After the roads nave been inspected
and stretches of fifteen or twenty miles
adam. 1t will be rather Difficult to i'm
agine that prior to 1865 the place was a.
bowling wilderness, the natives hauling
their crops to market supplying the howl
ing.
NEWARK AGITATES FIRST.
1t was in. Newark that the question
was first agitated, and in 1858 the famous
Road Board of Essex was organized. and
plans were at once formulated for I'M
proving the highways. There came q
storm of opposition from the residents
limits: It must be recalled that for the
preceding seventy-lve years there had
been no deviation in the methods of
matchmaking and repairing.
In 1878 a law was passed calling for the
election, of an overseer of highways.
whose duty was told plainly in the title
Of his Office. He it was who called upon
The citizens to work out their taxes by
: three days job on the highways, and
directed them in their work as seemed
pest in his judgment. What wonder
then when It was proposed not only to
do away with this easy way of tax pay
!ng, but to d their financial burdens
oy building expensive roads, that there
was CONSERVATION in the ranks of Jer-
seyites, and protests few thick and fast.
But in its rooms on Broad street the
board serenely went on It's way prapar-
ing plans, well knowing that when the
pubic wrath was spent public sympathy
\ and pride would be aroused and there
would be but little further trouble.
DELAY IN COMMENCING.
The idea of the board was to establish
a system of radiating avenues from
Newark as a common center, these
thoroughfares reaching to every part of
the county, but in Difference to the pop
| ular wish no work was lone except on
paper. Maps and reports were pub
lished by the Board, and soon the people
began to think that they had been a
triie hasty in judging the propositions
and began to consider them calmly.
The r%esultof their elaboration was that
the following year work was begun upon
the building Of the roads, and has con-
tinued almost without fnternission ever
since. MI. James Owens, c. E., was APP
pointed engineer when the Board was
formed and is still n that responsible
position. All the county roads and many
township streets, notably the excellent
mes of Montclair. were built under his
UNIoN's GOOD ROADS.
After the roads of Essex county were
we'll under way Union county citizens
began to pull themselves out of their
shell of ancient custom and stare at the
innovations of their neighbcrs. The
farmers were the first to appreciate the
GOOD of hard roads and soon found 1t
preferable to haul their produce a long
distance on a good street to Newark in
Essex Caunty, than on a poor street to
Elizabeth, in Union 1t was some time
before Union realized what was the
| proper plan to take to prevent this trans-
eer of commerce, but at length the eyes
,f the officials were opened to the fact
that it was good roads and nothing else
that was causing the lack of patronage
Of former markets, and good roads alone
would bring it hack to It's original start
ing point. So Union county began 20
au!ld roads. and iikewiee to advertise
the fact. So carefully sand skillfully did
they do both that soon the fame of
Union county. roads was spread far and
wide. although Essex has more miles of
macadam and telford than her neighbor.
WE'LL GET THERE.
Other counties soon began to follow in
sisters, and the work has by no means
come to an end. In truth, 1t has but be-
gun, and many predict that Jersey will
good roads.
All the outlay for these roads has
been well repaid. however, by the won
| derful increase in property valuations
wherever there are hard roads. There is
doubtless, then, to the average mind no
better reason for constructing the streets
| IMAM the purely financial one, winch is
| certainly a powerful factor. For ex-
ample, take Union county, which in
creased in value over 81, 00O,0 900 while the
present system of roads was being built.
, This declaration strikes deeper than the
heart-it goes to the pocket. Consider
the financial reports of several towns in
Essex county. most of which are plenti-
| fully supplied with hard roads,. Mont
clair, which now spends nnualy from
| Els, 900 to $4,000 for the care of roads,
was in 1866 valued at 81, 500, 600; in 1892 its
valuation was over S., 000,0 600.
INCREASE IN RATABLES.
| The city of Orange, which began to
build roads In 1865, has Increased in value
from {, 000,0 900 in 1865 to 81. 0O0,0 600 in 1892.
Directors to improved roads may try to
prove that this remarkable increase may
be due to other less direct causes, but
inquiry has brought to light some most
significant facts.
The township of Caldwell was rated IN
1859 at 81, 400, coo and in 1882 the valuation
was 81, $780, eco, road building having been
practically n~on-existent, saving for the
county roads,, until 1891. Caldwell, how
ever, has labored under the extreme dis
advantage Of having nc railroad ccnnec-
ton until a year or SO ago, when the
| Erie ran a branch through the town.
| West Orange. that built inc completed
its present road system between 1870 and
1875, increased in value from 50, $780, 900 in
1870 to IS, 900, 600 in 1875. In 1892 the valu-
| alton was still 50, 1000, 900. Livingston,