The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-03-14
GOOD ROADS LEolsL TON.
Decided improvement Made In Various
states in the Course of tn. Year.


There has been q noteworthy advance
in the construction of good roads ia the
United States and in the improvement OF
those not heretofore qualified for recoE-
milton as good. The National League Tor
Good Roads. established In 1892, was de-
signed ito awaken general interest in
the Improvement of public roads, deter
mine the best methods for building and
maintaining them, secure he:legislntlon.
state or national. that may be necessary
foI their support. and to conduct or fos-
ter such publications rs may serve these
purposes. This league was an out
growth OF the agitation for good roads
which began in 1888 and has been greatly
prorno6ed by the popularity of bicycles
During tie fiscal year Of 1898 the object
lessons in road building carried on by
the department of Agriculture have been
dihused over a wider extent Of territory
than heretofore. Object lesson roads
have been built near Belair. Md, and
pear Fork In Hartford county, Md. After
completing this work the agent in charge,
MIR. Harrison, was Transferred to the
state OF Minnesota, where he is carrying
on the work of instruction both by adj
dresses at public meetings and by means
Of an obj act lesson road upon the State
Fair grounds.
The Agriculture college of Rhode Is
Ind at Kingston has added TO the other
subjects of discussion aud instruction
that of technical training in progressive
modern road building, and the report of
the Federal expert shows that consider
able Roadway has been made in this line
of practical instruction. The feeling in
favor of state aid for good roads con-
tinues to grow, and has been accelerated
by the action uf the legislature of New
York In the passage OF the Higbie bill,
by which Boards of Supervisors are au-
thorlZed to decide what roads, IL any, are
to be improved, and which provides
that the state shall bear 90 per cent of
the cost, the county So per cent. and the
town In which the road Is located Is per
cent.
A highway commission has been APP
pointed by the Legislature of Maryland
to investigate the road systems of the
state and TO furnish plans and estimates
of cost for their improvement. The
Hamilton. Road bill has been passed by
the legislature of Pennsylvania. This act
sors in the several townships of the com
monwealth, and authorizes them to
make. repair and maintain loads and
bridges, let contracts for the same, levy
and collect taxes and employ labor.
subject which has recently gained con
siderable attention in connection with
roads Is that of the construction of steel
highways, the advantages of which in
durability, smoothness, perfection of con
struotlon and general utility are under
stood to be very great. 10 determine
their qualities the United States govern
ment, through the Bureau of Road In
quiry in the Agricultural Department,
has made an experimental road 800 feet
long in Cuyahoga county, Immediately
ad joining the city of Cleveland, now the
most populous of the cities of Ohio. The
road as laid was composed of inverted
channel bars placed in such position
that they became tramway or track
way. A broken stone surface was pre-
pared for horses to walk along. and to en-
able the teamsters to take their wagons
IN and off the road at will. The road
was laid in a street on which theirs Is II
large amount of heavy traffic, and 1t
has already demonstrated its value.
According to the annual report of TIE
State Comptroller, submitted to the Al
bany legislature on Jan. IL the engineer
ing expenses incurred last year for the i'm
provement of public highways (the state
share of such expense) was az, 3k. %, but
IA material addition the amount of such
expense is likely to appear In the next
annual report, as the conditions of the ex
isting highway law become more gener-
ally known, and apprecistlDr of the ben
etits to good roads undac its operation ;
,,,ore, paparallv diffus