The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-05-16
GOOD ROADS NOTES, /:
Improvements in Various States.
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There has been a noteworthy adj
vance in the construction of good
roads in the United States and in the
improvement Of those not heCetofore
qualified for recognition as good, re-
marks the New York Sun. The Ma
tional League for Good Roads, estab-
Hshed in 1892, was designed 'to
awaken general interest in the i'm
pro7ement of public roads, determine
the best methods for building and
maintaining them, secure the leglsla-
tion~State or national, that may be
necessary for their support, and to
conduct or foster such publications as
may serve these. purposes. This
league was an outgrowth Of the agita-
ton for good roads WHICH began in
1883 and has been greatly promoted
by the popularity of bicycles. During
the fiscal year OF 1898 the object les
sons in road building carried on by
the Department Of Agriculture have
been dihused over wider extent Of
territory than heretofore. Object les.
son roads have been built near Belair,
Md, and near Fork, in Hartford
County, Nd. After completing this
work the agent in charge, Mr.. Harri-
son, was transferred to the State Of
Minnesota, where he is carrying on
the work of instruction both by ad-
dresses at public meetings and by
means Of an object lesson road upon
the State Fair Grounds.
The Agricultural College of Rhode
Island at Kingston has added to the
other subjects Of discussion and in
struction that of technical training in
progressive modern road building,
and the report Of the Federal expert
shows that considerable headway has
been made in this line of practical in
struction. The feeling IN favor Of
State aid for coed roads continues to
grow, and has been accelerated by the
action of the Legislature Of New York
in the passage Of the Higbie bill, by
which Boards of Supervisors are au-
thorized to decide what roads, if any,
are to be improved, and which pro-
vides that the State shall bear fifty
per cent. of the cost, the county thir.
ty-fve per cent, and the town in
which the road is located fifteen per
cent.
A Highway Commission has been
appointed by the Legislature Of Mary
land to investigate the road systems
Of the State and to furnish plans and
estimates of cost for their improve.
ment. The Hamilton Road bill has
been passed by the Legislature of
Pennsylvania. This act provides for
the election of road supervisors in
the several townships of the common
wealth. and authorizes them to make,
repair and maintain roads and
bridges, let contracts for the same,
levy and collect taxes and employ
labor. A subject which has recently
gained considerable attention in con-
nection with roads is that Of the con-
struction of steel highways, the ad-
vantages Of which in durability,
smoothness, perfection OF construc-.
tion and general utility are understood
to be very great. To determine
their qualities the United States
Government, through the Bureau
Of Road Inquiry il the Agcicul-i
tural Department, has made an
experimental road 500 feet long
in Cuyahoga County, immedi-
ately adjoining the city of Cleveland,
now the most populous of the cities
Of Ohio. The road as laid was com.
posed of inverted channel bars placed
in such a position that they became
tranway or trackway. A broken
stone surface was prepared for horses
to walk upon, and to enable the
teamsters to take their wagons on and
of the road at will. The road was
laid in a street on which there is a
large amount of heavy traffic, and it
has already demonstrated its value.
According to the annual report Of
the State Comptroller, submitted to
the Albany Legislature on January
Il, the engineering expenses incurred
last year for the improvement ofpublic
highways (the State share Of such ex-
penses) was $3345.23, but material
addition to the amount of such ex-
pense is likely to appear in the next
annual report, as the conditions Of
the existing highway law become
more generally known, and apprecia-
ticn of the benefits to good roads
under its operations more generally
difused.