The San Francisco call., 1897-01-18
GOOD ROADS FOR
THE WHEELMEN \
Seven Highway Bills Be-
fore the Present Leg
islature.
The Work of the State Improve
ment Committee of the
L. A. w.
Excellent recommendations of the
State Bureau of Highways
Just Issued

One of the most important questions
coming before the public at the present
time is that of roads-"good roads," as
the wheelmen who are moving nigh tiIy
in the matter designate it. With them
is working the Bureau of Highways, which
have just issued report upon the thor
oughfares of the State. One can under
stand how much care is expended annu-
ally upon roads when it is known that
exclusive OF the sums spent on the streets
OF cities, towns and even many villages
nearly $4,000, 600 was used in repairs on
the highways of California during the
fiscal years of 1894 and 1895. During the
eleven years from 1885 to 1895 such data
as could be gathered from the records of
the various county officials shows that,
not including private subscriptions of
money, labor and material and poll tax
paid for generally in labor previous to
1898, and cost of construction of bridges,
ETC., the highway expenditures reached
the enormous sum of SIS, ,000 600.
Even with this great outlay 1t Is we'll
known to those familiar with any fraction
OF the mileage of the roads of the State
that they are deplorably bad. As a cause
of this the bureau points out that the
or system, and the money iniudiciously
expended. To start with, the roads have
been located without regard to the typog-
raphy of the country. In mum berless in
stances highways have been laid out over
rolling and hill land, around corners or
through boggy and poorly drained acres
to the permanent detriment of public
rights and convenience. \
The bureau insists upon the intro
duction Of the requirement that roads
must be located upon the best grades and
alignments which the nature of the coun-
try will permit. Considering that the
roads are the lines along which, for all
time, must be moved the traffic of a
growing civilization, this principle should
be imperatively enforced.
The report also calls attention to the
natural conditions, climatic, geological
and typographical, favorable to road con-
struction. The absence of severe winters,
which work such injury to the highways
in many Eastern States, the presence of
abundant building and repairing material
and the character of the ground surface
in the valleys and through mountain
passes make good roads possible, perma-
nent and plen tiful all over the State.
So strong hold has the good-road uues-
ton taken upon the public that seven
bills for the improvement of highways will
go before the present Legislature, all of
which will undoubtedly pass. The SUBJ
ject has been treated favorably in the
Governors message, and a large majority
in the Senate and Assembly is desirous
that the bills should become laws.
The proposed enactments were drawn
up by the Highway Improvement Com
mittee OF the League of American Wheel
men, which organization is actively en-
gagged in the highway work with the great
National League for Good. Roads.
One of the bills calls for regulation
width of wagon tires. This was recon-
merded by the State Bureau, and pre-
scribed that three inches for wheels of
ordinary farm and road wagons and the
minimum width of four inches for tires
bearing loads between four and six tons;
tires of five inches for loads between six
and eight tons, and for loads over eight
tons tire-width of six inches.
Charles G. Michener. chairman of the
committee, states that the most impor-
tant bill is that for the establishment of
system of State highways, and that one
fourth of mill on each dollar of taxation
be set apart for the construction and re-
pair of roads.
This will take the matter out of the
hands OF the Supervisors of the counties
and bring about a State system for the
maintenance of the public highways. Mr..
Michener also states that the bicycle bag
gage bill will pass with flying colors, as
the railroads will not oppose the measure.
Those transportation companies readily
understand that this privilege granted
wheelmen will encourage them to patron
lze the passenger trains; whereas, if the
biker were charged freight on his ma
chine he would in many cases ride it in
stead of paying for it's transportation.
This would mean the loss of many fare,
and with good roads throughout the
country hardly wheel would ever go
into the baggage-car.