The Newtown bee., 1900-09-07
Editorial Ink Drops.
PERMANENT ROAD IMPROVEMENT,
LOW TO SOLVE THE D1FF1c ULT PROBLEM.

HOW TO SOLVE THE DIFF1C ULT PROBLEM
 Put the convicts of our county and state prisons at work on permanent road improvements, and you in large meas. ure solve the difficult problem of how to improve the highways in the most economical manner. This is proposi- tion we have always soundly believed in, although it is no new idea, having been advocated for years by road experts and some far.seeing newspaper men. Under the present system of light labor employed in the prisons, there are scores of old rounders who managed to get "sent up" on the approach of cold weather, as they are then assured a warm place to stay and enough to eat. If the prisoners were employed at downright hard work like breaking stone or work. ing on the highways there would be, in our opinion. fewer men fed at the ex- pense of the public crib, and the perplex. ing problem of how to best meet the question of permanent road improve ments without taxing the people to death, would in a measure solve itself.
 In support of our position we want to bring to the attention of the readers of THE BEE some facts which appeared in the New York Tribune, the other day. This paper said: "The experiment in roadmaking by county prisoners under taken two years ago by the Board of Supervisors of Oneida county has gone far enough to enable some judgment to be formed of it's practical value. The second section of road built under the system has just been completed, and statistics of cost are available for con- parison with the cost of good macadam roads built under contract. The Oneida County Supervisors in the fall of 1899, after nearly year of planning, purchas- ed road outfit, including 12-ton steam roller, stone crusher and self-dumping wagons, at a cost of $9,O0O, and offered to contract with the towns and villages for the construction of roads by the labor of the prisoners in the Utica jail. The county charges 25 cents head for each days work of eight hours actually performed, and $2,50 day for the serv- ices of the engineer employed for the steam roller. In addition 1t requires the road district or village to furnish coal and road material and supervise the construction according to specifications agreed upon.
 The first road building was undertaken last fall of section seven.eights of . mile long and 16 feet wide in the village of Vernon. This was not entirely satis- factory, owing to the experimental nature of the work. A large amount of preliminary labor had to be performed in developing a quarry, and the cost of the road and the time occupied in con- struction were unexpectedly great. Ali ter a years wear, however, it Is in per feet condition without any repairs. In May contract was made with Road District No. of the town of Whitestown for the construction of road one and three-tenths miles in length through the village of New York Mills. The New York State specifications were adopted and strictly enforced, careful accounts were kept and valuable data are preserv- ed for the use of other towns and coun ties.
 l For 25O feet the road was 10 feet wide for 4,760 feet, 16 feet wide, and fol l, 300 feet, 20 feet wide. The macadau was six inches thick, with crown O. half an inch to the foot. Thirty-fou prisoners on an average were employed 2,l09 cubic yards of two and one-hal inch crushed limestone and 703 cub:' yards of half-inch crushed limeston
 were used. The time occupied in con struction of the road and on accessory drainage was IA weeks. The total cos