The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-02-06

ship system has been In existence. ~ -
piece work and inconsistch'', ~,
cause one township may decide 10 n"'".
new roads while the next one may y"
opposed TO IT, .,,
Some people have advocated the coun-
ty system; while II Is an improNenient
over the township system, yet Is no.
complete. Burlington county, for IN
stance desires TO secure good roayS :"
phflatefphia and while II IL ready TO tax
itself for such Improvement. YET u I'LL
NOT EXPECT that Camden county wiz '.ass
"A SIMILAR expenditure, just va nenen'
Uuriincton. The state apprentices slcl.,,
10 annually for the building OF sovu
roads and ii has betn suggested 70 u'-
vile this money by districts IN ne san,'
manner as the moncy an81 y ,h,s '' system
, a. carried out the appropriation "ou'a
he iuS; about sufficient 70 hu''d row
IN front OF each piece oil pftpe,S NJ,
feet wide. six inches deep. ana tien..,'
inches long. II the money, s w , op each
county about two miles or new Ioaus,
Tho roads OF the state belong 10 All ,''e
people Of tho STATE, ana tneir n 80
ton must not be- delegates 10 rs'. 'hss
ple OF the various counties. lnls na
been the stumbling block heretofore az"
II il necessary TO make the stare ,ah.
held Of this work or the latter WIZ "e'N'
amount to anything. -. 4, Now
Under the law as II tNlSts :" 80
Jersey. the State pays 81 per cent OF me
cost OF the proposed improvemne! VIII
me property owners I'm the Denen'eu ",
trict pay 10 per cent. ana the ,s
the balance The law. as ~ STATUS,
works we'll II anyone does not WIT
good road he need not petition Tor ~.
While 7 do not think that the psople
should 20 TO the state for eyer snn,,,J
vet I think the public roads s. s
form an exception. England nas , elegant
cd her system. and has now e''s ,a,,s
IL ads. France abandoned ITS old syS,snn
under NAPOLEON L.. and has no" w ,, III
est roads In the world. The eohH'uo"
of the roads In this country - how-
proach 10 America. They car nu"
ever he easily improved If the proper
system is adopted.
FEATURES OF THE LAW.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Kent desired 70
know what the principal features OF tne
New Jersey road law are, anu MI nv
gave the following explanauOn nc ~
zens living along the line whicn the pIo-
nosed road is TO follow have TO sueule
a petition TO the county board sleneu 10y
al least twO-thirds of the interested Ir,c-
holders. If the petition is sancuoheu 10y
the county board, II Is supfnit,su ~ ~
State Road Commissioner, anu. IT aPPioN-
ed bv him. the road must he built:
Mr. Bryan called attention 10 tne idct
mat the bin submitted TO the Legislature
of Virginia Is framed after the INV en-
acted in New Jersey. thS sreadS v,onid
IL
be the state aid. II five cents were palo
on each siOn of taxable property tne
amount realized i'm that manner from the
entire state would be about S15p'vo. LIN
IN New Jersey, the interes'en I'LL tVp't,e ~
owners would first have TO Denuoh ior
the building OF the road IN similar
manner as in that State. II was po,
posed by the hill that the state a,u
should DE % per cent, while ~ per S,n..
would have to be paid by the ptopsiS
owners and 6 per cent by the counties;
Mr.. Conrou added that the people vi
New Jersey had submitted 10 harro"
roads I'M order 10 keep DOWN 'Np'nS''.
The road 20 M0orestown, over winch ~
expected to carry the VISITORS ~, va, ,,,ide
tho first mile and half twelve ie.t WIZ,
and afterwards narrowed down 70 ninr
feet The success OF their $751;. .,ir>i Ans,
been due to narrow roads, an" IN 90 .h
ont that system they had carried OUT the
practice of the old Roman Empire why.
huitt lis roads only eight feet Niue- ~
first serious objection had peeh la.S'r
this system, but now since II mac uec"
In operation for I'VE or SIX Yeas 49,. 49,
body was satisfied. and the htst lh'Vn-
yenience had yot TO be noticed;
Mr.. Keesee OF Halifax, desired 20 Know
the actual cost of the building or "A foen
nine feet wide, and MIR. C0nroW ieIh.u
that the first eleven miles OF roah bufit
in that county had cost $4,000, or about
SCI 500 per mile Ii was very necessary 10
lower the cost and the stone required
ought to be obtained cheaper. rms ooula
be done II the stone was broken by con-
Victs and the railroads agreed 10 maui IL
at a lower rate.
A BETTER SYSTEM.
Mr.. Brvan called attention to yhe fact
that il was not the idea Of the advocates
of the measure TO embark into anything
so ambitious as rock roads, except III
certain localities where rock was wlthin
easy reach What they wanted was
In p,apaQCUueuf OF me
roads 4 little intelligent SUPERVISION
would secure good dirt roads. Mr.. Bryan
stated that about "A year ago ne went 70
Gloucester. his native county, win a
view Of purchasing farm there, put
when he noticed the wretched condition
OF the roads in that section he az once
changed his mind and returned 10 Rich
mond without carrying our MS plan tp
IN the Valley, he said, where me peopiS
had other material on hand. they need
not be satisfied with dirt roads II
good expert was secured TO manage the
work. and the people were willing 90 de-
frav a moderate portion OF the expenses
themselves then the county and state
ought Ia help out and pay the balance.
1t had been expected to see the most Sc
rious opposition 10 the road tax come
from the cities, railroads, banks, ana
telegraph companies, but up 10 the pres
ent time they had not heard OF any Sucn
opposition, and the only obJecuon was
Mr.. Conrow stated that Mr.. McAdam
had had ii similar experience in Eng
land. Under the existing bad ROAD sys-
tenn it actually cost more TO haui 10y
team bushei OF wheat from the centre
of the state to Philadelphia, tnan 10
ship it by rail from Illinois, the difference
being between IA and cents.
Mr. Booker, OF Nansemoud desired 10
know If the law regulated the WIDTH .,
tires In New Jersey. He was imofinen
hat hA a
State offered rebate of 20 cents on tne
tax for each wheel Of four inches IN
width. In Burlington county the rate OF
taxation was 81 cents, ID Of when was
collected as road-tax
Mr.. Samuel r.. Allen stated that Tor
the past five or six years he had taken
great interest in the road question. ~
ter the new roads had been buiit III tiie
first township of Burlington county, IN
residents OF the second township dld hot
wait for the operation OF the Jaw, pn'
built their roads with their own money
They were first opposed 10 narrow roads
but now were fully satisfied with theih.
ne thought the roads In Virginia snouid
be- overseen by the state, and shouil
only De asked FOR permanent roads; whlch
were stone roads. lie admitted WNtn
the question was put that he ma" h't!"
OF complaints on the part OF som. GU
Zens who did not live Immediately on
the new roads, but were taxed TOT the
Mr.. r. G.. Harrison here suggested to
turn the meeting over into sort OF
Methodist love feast. By having the iar,t-
ers present giving their experience with
the new road system.
THE FARMERS PLEASED.
Mr.. DeCue said that under the ne"
system the farmers would travel over
the roads all the time. II they naa ~
travel over a strip OF bad road they
r-.-,,II ~ course have to load their