The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-23
NEED Of TIER ROADS
Alderman Schmidt Is Doing
Good Work.
WILL CURE A DOUBLE EVIL
City Prisoners to Be Set to Work on a
Rockpile-W Would Immediately Fur
nish Excallent Material for
Road Building.

Great Falls, Feb. 21.-Alderman
Schmidt of the third ward is doing
good work in forcing the matter of bad
roads or the need of better roads than
Great Falls has at the present time,
upon the attention of the council. His
plan is not an entirely new one, but it
has such merits that it should be ad-
vocated until it is adopted. For the
next two or three months citizens of
Great Falls and visitors to the city
may expect execrabe streets and av-
enues, made SO by the nature of the
soil, the lack of proper road material
and of proper drainage. Considerable
money is spent on the streets of this
city from year to year, but it Is all
expended in work that is temporary
and must be repeated. "Gumbo" is
taken from the hills in the streets and
thrown into the hollows only to roll
back into the original position as soon
as there is enough rain and enough
travel over that particular spot. Out
side of Central avenue nothing, or prac-
rically nothing is used for road ballast
except the SOIL found there This is
largely the heavy clay known as gumbo
which has an aggraVating habit in the
spring of rolling UP until the surface
of the roadway is like the Massachus-
ettts bay at the end of an easter"
1t takes particular delight in rolling
over the crossings and covering them
with two or three inches of its greasy,
sticky self. Nothing can make a de-
cent road out of such material, and
money spent in reconstructing such
roads is thrown away.
Mr.. Schmidt's proposition cures
double evil. He urges that a city
rock pile be esta blished with the Gus
todian of the city dump as a special
policeman in charge. Then the city
y-scF = !, l.,
other petty offenders are to be set at
work on this pile and contribute their
share to the maintenance of the city
work. This without doubt would create
large supply of the very best quality
of road metal, and if used with an ordi-
nary degree of intelligence would in
time make the streets of Great Falls
the best in the land, and a source of per-
petual joy and comfort to the resident
If only one small piece of road was i'm
proved in each year, provided that the
Improvement be of a lasting nature, the
object would be accomplished and COM
plants of impossible streets now so
common would be a thing unknown.
The scheme has double merit. Not
only would it tend to the permanent
identifying of the city, but it would
provide means of decrea sing the num-
Der of vagabonds and undesirable char
acters which, like the flowers, appear
III Inc spring. Ine nchaln gang -estab-
lished several years ago and vigorously
maintained each summer season for a
time has been saving to the city of an
incalculable amount. Not that the
work accomplished was much 1t was
not but the single idea of a possibility
OF serving two or three shifts on the
gang turned many a hobo from the city
limits and kept him away. The rock
pile is even a better suggestion, for
through it the prisoner may be abso-
lutely obliged to earn the meals which
are served to him at the jail The rule
of so much rock broken in shift or
bread and water for supper would en-
sure a remuneratiye return.
The matter has gone to the committee
on ways and means, which will undoubt-
eddy give it the attention it deserves.