Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1896-01-31
GOOD ROADS nv I'M
DERSON COUNTY

IHIIutIS vi VAC t'fuhoy w. -
disadvantage when they wish to WAR
ket their crops which they have ear
vested the year previous, on account
of bad roads.
There has been page after page
written on the improvement oil oui
thoroughfarcs, both in our cities and
country.
The cities haye of course great
advantage ever the country districts
for the reason that wealth is more
concentrated and thereby saves Il
great deal of expense to each in"iv-
dual.
Now rs to the roads in Anderson
county. We have what we call a
system TO work the roads. Each gem
eral election we elect road overseers,
they qualify, file their bonds and are
approved by the township trustee OF
their respective townships. the coun--
tv clerk ccrtities to the township
trustee Of the county, the valuation
of each tract of land and valuation
of all personal property belonging to
their townships. The township trus-
tees furnishes from the hook supplied
by the county clerk stat ment to
each road oyerseer in his road dis
trict of all property for road purposes
work to he applied on the highways
by the property owners This is the
method by which our roads get work
ed each year
But how are they worked?
Each person is required 10 work 3
hours a day; five or six persons viii
get together, ordered out by road
overseer. pillow on each SIDE of the
road, scrape the plowed dat into the
center of the road meyer level it down
but think their work is done hon estly
and right.
Suppose you we're maxim Z private
road leading from the public road to
your residence, say 20 rods, would
YOU consiler that kind of work would
suit YOU? just leave scoop full of
dirt here and one there, and another
one ut another place Do you call
that working roads? This system we
have is farce.
Lets see, the various township
trustees make the road levies and the
amount of road tax paid each year is
close to $4,000 or $4,000 annually,
What becomes of This work?
What becomes of this money!
Cant we get better plan?
Suppose we commence at Garnett,
and work the main travelled roads
out TO other towns, say Greeley,
Kncaid, Lone Elm, Colony, Mont
Ida, Harris. We have about 10000
to spend each year, We have plenty
of rock. We can buy 10 horse pow
er rock crusher that will crush from
10 to ID tons per hour and the cost
of the machine would not exceed
SIX hundred dollars.
Now we have a county surveyor
that would like to increase his sal.
arv. Allow him to go and survey,
stake, and lay plans
Have a highway commissioner one
that understands his business, let
him grade, drain, and crush rock and
soon we would have all the principal
roads in the county so that the farm
crs could manage to market ali grain
in one half the time they do now and
would be permanent fixture for
years.
In 20 years from now you would
have Anderson county one OF the
best counties in eastern Kansas. This
rock is all right and must he utilized
and this is one way 1t can be done.
Then the $4,000 annually would be
we'll spent, otherways we will have
just as poor roads in 20 years as we
have now.
Now we are not booming good
roads alone, But we are still ham
mering away on the
North Side for Trade.
We are permanently located, and
"Lo, am with you always, even
l..