Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1899-02-16

ent OF public roads be created by law,
aud made appointive by said board,
and be subject to their control.
The general superintendent shall have
charge of all the roads and road work
of the county. who shall not be active
ly engaged in any other business or
employment. The rea-on are many,
but suffice it to say that by this meas
ure skill and merit can be secured at a
great saving to the road fund, and
then the people can put their finger
on the right man when occasion de-
mands.
i Second The work done and per-
formed on the public roads must be
continuous; las the use is so must the
work be' embodies the principle Of
road making. They must therefore
be constantly worked, by men making
that their business, in order to b, come
pro ficient in road making. Fancy, for
example, the Cheapeake and Ohio
Railway Company working their road
bed "when they had nothing else to
do" Now this railroad company's
bed is divided into sections of several
miles each, and force of four or five
men, under the supervision of a skilled
foreman, are kept constantly working
the year round on that section, and,
by systematic, steady and continuous
work from day to day, step by step,
this railroad company has brought its
road bed to Its present high state of
excellence, deservedly so the best road
bed in the South. As the use is, so
must the work be. The work done on
our public roads must then be contin-
uous and uninterrupted; there must be
replaced upon the public roads the
amount of bed worn away by public
use. This system is in practice, not
only by the railway company above
mentioned, but is substantially en-
ployed by the old Valley Turnpike
Company. This system is available,
and that too without any appreciable
duFduCt Ill Jul P1CoChU LOU VI t2Ao-
tion, as l shall hereafter presently
show.
Third For the maintenance of the
public roads the taxes should be uni |
form and equal in the several districts. |
And why? Because the use is general;
as it is at present the tax is local. l
submit, therefore, the tax should fol-
low the use.
There is scarcely o day that the |
farmers do not use the roads of their /
own or some other district, and parti- 4
cularly is this true in regard to dis
tricts surrounding our market centers.
Why not maintain all the line fence
between you and your neighbors You
promptly answer because the burden
should follow the benefit. There are
other potent reasons, but space for
bids, but suffice it to say that the
taxes should be uniform and equal for
the maintenance of the public roads
of Augusta county. Now for some
figures to support the change 1 ad-
vocate. The total amount Of the dis
trict levies for the past year together
with the appropriations out of the gen
eral county levy was $2l ,594.35. The
average district road levy is fourteen
and one half cents on the hundred dol
lars. The total amount of real and
personal property in the county OF Au-
gusta, subject to road-levy is $11 ,27.-
27S. Now by uniform and equal
road levy of sixteen cents on the hun
dre6 dollars together with the appro
priations from the the general county |
levy would make road fund OF $685.
900. 1 will now proceed to show with
this fund expended on our public
roads, will not only provide for their
maintenance but secure their ultimate |
macada damization. 1t is conceded by all |
with whom have talked, that ten |
men kept constantly employed the year
round, in each of the districts, will
keep the roads of the districts in as
good repair as at present, and then
give them intervening time to thor
oughly macadamize on some princi-
pal road therein. What is meant by
constant and regular working the roads,
is to be understood to mean, at all pro-
ger and s-itable times. You may safe
ly calculate upon a basis of two hun
dred days of steady work, this then as
basis and at reasonably good wages
for the ten men In each OF our six dis
tricts would make sum total of about
$12, 600, now if ten men kept regularly
employed upon the roads of each dis
tr.ct will do the work with time to
spare, how much more then will twenty
men do at a cost only of $4, 600. L
make the assertion without fear of sue
cessful contradiction that twenty men
kept regularly employed in working
the roads of each district will keep
them in better repair than at present
and give them time in addition to
macadamize several miles of road be-
sides. Thus little by little, step by
step. year by year, mot how much, but
how welD of steady maintenance and
macadamization will ultimately secure
: for us perfect public highways. An
other point in regular continuous road
I making is obtained; men employed at
it, thereby become proficient and skill
full in road making, and can therefore
L accomplish more in given time than
. men picked up at random to work g
day or so, now and then. There is
not an overseer in the county that will
l not bear me out in this statement as
proof for skilled labor. lam unalter
ably opposed to bond issue to i'm
: prove our public roads SO word tc
YOU who would advocate it, and to yol
farmers and tax payers on that line
Have you ever counted the COST Mer
can deceive, but figures will not. Lei