Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-12-07
BAD ROADS REMEDY.
HOW TO SECURE IMPROVEMENT
ECONOMICALLY.
euEgestion That Country Highways
BE Divided Into ScctIors--Au Al
tendant to Have Constant Charge
of Each Division

a. -N'" A'N' - . 'N'hANs 'fiie AAeillH AaNl bN
Harper a BrotheIs
Farmers object, and with Justice. To
stone roads costing upward of $1,000
per mile. The farmers of nearly every
state in the Union oppose state aid be-
cause of the fear they have that the cX-
travagance of expensive stone road Gu
gineers, who build well and then fail
TO maintain, may be Saddlcd upon
them. On the other hand. the idea of Il
constant attendant appeals 10 the farm
ers as a rational method of evolution
toward better system of roads at the
same time that it trains experts to care
for them.
In order to secure satisfactory and
economical improvement of our cuun-
try roads, therefore, the writer, Daniel
Il. Luten, in llarpcr's Weekly, would
advocate a system by which the roads
should be divided into sections Of from
10 to 20 miles in length ana a man en-
ployed for each section to devote his
entire time and attention to the i'm
provement of that section. The at
tendant should provide team and wa--
on whenever needed. lie would re-.
miro no assistants IIo should hn he,1
In strict ottnntion to dut,. and in -
strict obseryoucr Of hours vnrthnr in
wet weather or dry.
Ruts would be cradicated by filing
with harder material: the surface
could ho cnootl,od liz. sa,o,,i,,,, ,,.f,l, ,
,,o,,on tiro d,o,r if no ,,,..t,,.I ~,
,ynrohI. Chrc,, hnI,. ,rn,,rl Iva an
a5 with hro,.,, st,,,, -. ,,i,r, -,
-. ,,.t,,, ,,,I mi 80. ,,.t,l, t...I....
nu,Iitv nf ,,,tnr,,I o,.,il.IIn ,r,t,
toinin,r s,,n,t,, .,,rf,,.,, ca. ,,,, ~,
,,,,n - u.oto, +, an ~, &. ,,..,.''...,,,.,.
90 ,ro,.on, .,c,,,,t,,,, - a.. ....,
soo, o,.o,, ,,.i,l, ,,,,tI, r,,..I,. l.,..,.f,,,
,ho rood oor,r,Ii,. ,,.,,,,.,,,.l ,u,'.,..I,
ond FRO. From, rms l. nm. .,f,,,i,.., H.,
IIsrnstnc ~ "tn. ,,rooto.., ,,,,,,,,,. -
r,a,i., ,,,,..,, r,n, H.. ,,,... .I.l.'.,..,
.,.,,.,, ,e r,,,u1,tf..,,. ,,l ma.
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,,..,., ,,,,fr,,l ,,.,,,i.,,..,l
u,,t,.hf,,Ino,s tr.cs.i,.o l,,.,;,,.,y.,
oo,ll l,o ouo,.,l I,. nm ,.,....,..,...,.l
l g Il i.f T.
a.. n,,,In ,os,ilI,, ,l., s,,,.,,l, ..,,,
fo,.. v.,,,l d.,,.,.oo.., tI,., ,,.,,,.,,,, .,I.o
~, ,,o,,o.,;,,. r,,. .,,,.iul-tir,, M. o+
,on.I,nt ,rorld HnJ ti,,,, rnt. ,,io,,,,;,,,r a
srsto,,otio r,n,h,d of b.,uffrvir,, INA
road, nf his soc,i,n Tho s,dn d.tobos
shnuId ha claonnd. th,.. ,.,olv.,v ,bo,,ld
ho .loorod or ,,ooJ. which ,n, ,,r4,,
ora ohln IN ,nnronriatn tho roadside
as their highway fnr dissemination
tn. axnrnse of constant attrudnnra
on our countrv roads could Inc drrrpos-
oh In a minimum nv dnrrr,sip,, tbs
number Of miles in II sacrtou. admit
TING of coursn thot tho bnu,fts v,ni1fd
| he corresnnndinrIv decreased Thrrn
can thns ha no nrrunnnt ao,inst its
odontion on lhn ground of rxupnsp hy
! the noorest communities Ry auotting
sections Of from 10 to 20 miles to each
attendant tha eynpnse per mile wou,d
not he ~reatnr thon under thn nrrspnt
svstem If is remorlahle what = small
umount of material is rpollirnl for re-.
noirs if those renoirs ha made nronnt
lv and still more remarkoblc What n
creot omourt is ranuirad whom rnuairs
are made bnt once n wear. The largpr
mart of tho cost of road materials is In.
hor in nrnnorina tronsnorting hou.
,llinr and nlcinp Labor can he far
mora economicoIlv nurchase1 bv ON.
Moving one man for a long npriod of
lima than bv emnlnvipc many mon for
a sbortnr nnriod Tho most Of the at-
tantion nonded Inv = road does not re-
nuire foam Labor and If Is this kind of
ntta,tion thot is most nnrlnctnd unInr
rho nrasept svstem until ot the end of
the veor It rnnuirns great deal Of ex
nansiva foam ,vo,l, to mako II rond
Tho constant ottondant svstem af
maintenance onnlied ia our rrespnt
roads would in time develon them into
a svstam of hard roads mat could be
most aconomicolIv administered Inv on
gineerjng superintendence For the
nresant however thero is no good rea-
s,n ,vbv the officers who nj the nrespnt
tima sunoriptand road affairs in county
or +ownsbin wo,ild no+ nrove sotisfoc-
torv nc sunerintendonts of the road at
tendonts, The reason that these Off
cers are frcuuentlv failure under the
present system is because they are call
cd unon to fill nosition recurring ex.
mort knowledge that they do not pos.
sess. To superintend experts and to
see that they devote full time to Their
duties "a more simple matter and n
line in which every farmer who en-
ploys hired hands has had experience,
The superintendents would. moreover,
have the assistance of every resident
of the section. for the property owners