The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-04-02
GOOD ROADS NOTES,

+ GOOD ROADS NOTES. s
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A Course of Instruction in Road Building
A most excellent departure has beer
made in Rhode Island, where o course
OF instruction in practical road build
ing has been instituted in the Agri
cultural College, at Kingston, and the
papers announce, with justifable ex
ultation, that "this State leads the
world" in such an undertaking.
The course of instruction is to ex.
tend over two years. In the class.
room, theoretical instruction will be
provided, and the road-making plant
OF the college will furnish ample oppor-
I.tunity for the requirement of practi-
! cal knowledge. Students, who wish
to enter the course, must be we'll
| grounded in the common branches,
including algebra and geometry.
During the first year, the course will
include higher geometry, trigonome-
try, surveying and other English
studies, In the second year, physics,
electricity, photography. geology,
mineralogy and steam engineering
will be taken. The practical work
will run side by side with the theoret-
ical during the course. twill include
actual work on the roads, handling
the shovel, driving horses, running
the stone crusher, traction engine and
road roller, and all machinery operat-
ed by the department. The student
will thus actually perform all the
varied operations connected with road
building, as well as receive competent
instruction in all that pertains to the
art. In this way, not only will q
large number of young men receive
most valuable training, but demand
will probably quickly arise for special
instruction for older men, who now
are superintendents of streets, CON-
missioners of highways and engineers.
There is here field which is not
yet crowded, or even full, As the
Providence Journal remarks, ssof late
years there has been demand for
competent road-builders oil through
the States that have been constructing
macadam highways. Utmost instances.
either theoretical engineers or highway
superintendent have risen to ill the
places. And to the sorrow and costs
of the big cities and the disappoint-
ment of the counties, in many in
stances, the latter have kbeen COM
PEELED to pay for the lack Of practical
knowledge Of the civil engineers and
the lack of theoretical knowledge of
the highway supervisors.
But, even with this school of men.
who have been educated by building
the roads, there have not been enough |
to go around in all the localities where
good roads are needed, and where
there is money to build them. A man |
who thoroughly understands road con-
struction to-day may easily get posi-
ton. What is needed is the educated
man, who not only knows how to build
costly, ideal road, but one who can
economically construct an eight-foot
country road-a man who knows both
the theoretical and practical end of
road construction. This is the style
of graduate which the Rhode Island
institution aims to turn out.
At the end of the course, they will
have graduated man who can plan
The highway, draw the contracts, and
Who is able to run the machinery to
ouild the road; man who knows the
business from the hoe handle to the
'ripod, from shoveling coal under the
boiler OF the steam roller to drawing
he plans--a road engineer. : els
There are number OF openings !
which q practical rosd-builder may /
i'll. He may become o road expert
or the United States Government. Il
81 passing the civil service examine
ions of the Road Division, Depart I
nent of Agriculture, he will be put on
he list of eligibles, and as soon as e i 1
'acancy occurs will receive an APP
,ointment from the Government. IL
Then, the builders Of road machinery
ave constant call for men to set up !
heir plants in the various towns and
tiles which are constantly acquiring !
uch equipments. They have to send
nth the machinery men who know all ]
bout operating it. As rule, the .
,en they send out are shop hands, I
nd beyond the rule-of-thumb expe- I
ience with these identical machines, I
hey know but little. The builders T
~ there is q constant demand for {
Dad builders with these plants, and v
hat they consider that this is . good / P
cid for Young men. la
but the largest field for men edu-
Ated IS road-builders will probably .
9 found as highway superintendent <
mong the various counties and towns. .
here are few first-class men in this d
ne. and, with the spread Of the Good t,
Dads movement, the demand for q
ach experts is growing"