Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-04-12
wagon passing over road serve as
rollers and compact the road instead

| I
Of cutting mp and destroying it.
Our own Gov. Stanley deplores thu
unsatisfactory tcondiuon Of public
roads and advises radical reform in
the interest Of better results from
money expended.
Pennsylvania has tax levy Of II
mills. The legislature Of that state
adopted joint resolution, appoint
ing a committee consisting Of three
senators, five representatives and five
citizens to revise and consolidate its
laws relating to road building and
consider the advisability Of state as
sistances.
New York advises a highway com.
mission consisting Of three who shall
have state supervision and work in
harmony with supervisors. Work
to be done shall be let under con.
tract.
Massachusetts, proposes that a
commission Of roads shall be ap.
pointed who shall be civil engineer
whose duty it shall be to visit towns
and cities, inspect roads and bridges
and advise local authorities in rela.
ton to the same, shall make an an
nual report to the legislature Of his
doings and facts collected.
From this review OF what has been
said and done in several states, we
are impressed that their efforts
should be supplemented by national
aid, as has been suggested to some of
the states by the appointment Of a
national commission through the
agricultural department, with a
corps Of consulting engineers and
acting in conjunction with state COM
mission.
That national supervision results in
choice roads is proved by those OF
England, Germany and France,
the best in the world and costing the
least, while America has certainly
among the worst roads in the civiliz.
ed world.
In all the suggestions quoted in
review Of state action there is no re-
ference to our common dirt roads.
while permanent Macadamized roads
should be our ultimate aim. We Of
Kansas cannot expect consummation
SO devotedly wished for all at once
and must necessarily depend on our
dirt roads for some time to come.
The matter for US to consider now is
how to make the roads practicable for
twelve months in the year. We are
fortunate in having soil that receives
heavy fall Of rain in the morning
and will furnish a bed Of dust by sun
down for the wind to blow.
We believe that the whole solution
Of the problem is embodied and can
be expressed in two simple sentences
perfect drainage and well round
ed, smooth and compact surface,
conditions that can be met by gen.
erous use of the lever,of the pillow, the
grader and the level, that there may
be uniform grade and no low places
in storm bitches for water to &C.
cnmulate and by percolation and
capillary attraction keep the
center from drying, it might be ne
cessary and always beneficial to lay
tier of thing under the center for
sub-drainage.
In this square and rectangular
country we are inclined to confne
our roads closely to section lines often
at the expense of heavy grades. We
think there is not sufficient attention
paid to the degree Of ascent nor a
realization Of the loss in motive
power on heavy gradas. From
! GILLESPIE we learn that motive power
that will move 1000 lbs. on a smooth
level road will move on an ascent of
OF one foot in 100, 900 lbs, OF one foot
in 80, $40 lbs, l foot in rs, $40 lbs, l
foot in 10, $50 lbs, or one.fourth the
capacity on level road, SO that a
farmer moving bis produce 10 market
will make four trips instead Of one.
Our own county Of Dickinson COL
lects and disburses about $50, 900 an.
nually, including city and poll tax.
A sum that would in a few years
thoroughly grade and drain every
road in the county il judlciously ex.