The record-union., 1896-03-24
WORKING FOR GOOD ROADS.
The State Highway Commissioners Ad-
dress Citizens.
Last Nights Meeting Held Under the
Auspices of the Local
Wheelmen.

A representative meeting of good
roads enthusiasts, composed of wheel
men, farmers, business men and OIL
Gals to meet the members of the State
Bureau of Highways, was held last
night in Smiths Hall under the aus
pices of the Capital City Wheelmen, and
was we'll attended, but the hall should
have been crowded. Scott Ennis, Presi-
dent of the last-named organization,
occupied the chair In introducing
Commissioner r. G. Irvine of the Bureau
of Highways, Mr.. Ennis said that since
the completion of the circuit of the
State by the bureau the members were
in position to impart much valuable
information to all interested in the
movement for better roads; that the
wheelmen take great interest in the
work of the bureau, and it is one of
their prime objects to further any steps
which will tend to the promotion of bet
ter highway building.
Commissioner Irvine said that he ap
peared, not in his official capacity, but
as a citizen of Sacramento, having lived
more than half of his life in this city;
that for the past few years he had been
agitating the good roads question, and
felt as though he was one of the pioneers
of the movement, for it was at the little
office of the Sacramento Humane So
ciety, while he was President of that
organization, that the first step toward
calling a road convention in the State
Of California was taken.
ION the eve of the opening of the State
rock quarry at Folsom" Mr.. Irvine con-
tinued, whereby not only the cheapest
but the very best of road material in
the United States is available to us,
the question is shall we go ahead and
improve our streets, or shall we let
Stockton, Marysville, Woodland and
other neighboring cities reap the entire
benefit? There is a field in this county
for great, good and glorious work; and
there is no reason why Sacramento
should not stand at the head of any
city in California, or even in the United
States, for good, clean, wide and smooth
streets and roads"
The speaker said that he regretted
he was not a wheelman, but nature had
done so much for him in the way of
corpulency that he was afraid he should
never enjoy what seemed to him one of
the greatest pleasures imaginable-to
glide along good, hard, smooth streets
on a wheel The Commissioners. he
said, had just returned from Folsom
where they found the rock-crushing
plant working to perfection; the ma
chinery is all in place, and is now in
operation crushing rock for the con-
crete foundations Of the bunkers, which
alone remain to complete the plant;
that by the middle Of April or the 1st
OF May rock will be available, and he
hopes to see Sacramento put in the first
order for road metal
The other cities which he had men
toned had all been eagerly waiting the
completion of the plant, and Stockton
had signified her intention of taking
1OO,OOO tons The cost of crushed rock.
laid down in Sacramento, will be but
fifty cents a ton, or seventy-five cents
a cubic yard, as against the prevailing
price Of nearly So. Sacramento has
about 160 miles Of streets and alleys. of
which about forty miles are improved;
but system in the manner of improving
Is sadly lacking.
Mr.. Irvine referred to the work of the
old Improvement Association, and ap-
pealed to the citizens to form another
such organization. He said that there
that there is no place in the State where
road can be built SO easily or so
cheaply as from Sacramento to Folsom.
1t parallels the railroad, and rock will
therefore be available at any point on
the line; road can be constructed there
which will be shown to visitors with
pride, and the valuation of property on
its line will be greatly Increased.
Where system in the matter of road
building prevails, in such States as
New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode
Island, property has in many cases
doubled in value, simply because it is
a pleasure for people to live in the coun-
try with the city stores accessible to
them by good roads.
The Commissioner said he wished to
educate the people up to building roads
of reasonable width. The width that
should be allowed for one wagon is eight
feet, and the roadbed should therefore
be governed by multiples of eight. Do
not construct roads ten or twenty feet
wide; make them sixteen, twenty-four
or thirty-two feet in width.
If but one first-class piece of road be
constructed it will be the means of the
Improvement of many more miles. If