The suburban citizen., 1901-12-14
Growing Interest in Better Highways.

WV HERE has been larger ex
pendlture Of public money
for the improvement Of
public highways in the
past season than in any previ
Gus FIVE years Of our history. The
aggregate Of money appropriated for
the betterment OF highways will
mount into the millions of dollars.
Public sentiment in favor Of better
highways has developed so rapidly
that it has been difficult to keep track
of the various international, National
and State conventions that have been
called to promote the cause This in
terest has been manifested not only
by farmers, good roads enthusiasts
and public officials. but also by sever.
al Of the great trunk line railways.
If every State in the Union had an
advocate of good roads with half the
spirit and energy of State Senator
Earle, Of Detroit, Mich, the work Of
the next decade would bring marvel
lous changes in the public highways
of the United States% If the same
methods that he has brought into use
in his own State should be employed
elsewhere it would be difficult to find
in the more thickly populated dis
tricts, at least, an impossible piece of
road at the end of ten years.
Senator Earle is by no means q nov
ice in this field, for he has spent sew
eral years of active service as one OF
the expert instructors in good road
building sent out under the auspices
Of the Department Of Public Road In
quirles of Washington. He might be
called the apostle Of good roads
A year ago he was elected a mem.
Der Of the State Senate of Michigan
from Detroit. At that time there was
no organization in the State which had
for its object the improvement Of tho
highways. l>
Immediately upon the assembling of
the State Legislature last winter he
began to agitate the good roads ques-
tiOn. 1t was through his efforts that
the Michigan Highway Association
was organized and began its work.
He was placed at the head of the Com
mittee Of Public Highways and be-
came the leader in this field.
He now has a project for the or
ganization, equipment and admins
tratlon of a State Engineers Depart
ment requiring the appointment Of
competent engineer VINO shall have
charge Of the State work for the i'm
provement of highways He expects
to procure an appropriation which
will keep suchja department busy dur
ing the next twelve months.
In the meantime he has not been
idle. Through his efforts fully a score
of counties and cities have made ap-
propriations for work within their bor-
ders aggregating nearly a half million
dollars, which will be expended with
in the next twelve months.
He expects to start out next spring
rs soon as the season will permit with
a good roads train drawn by a trac-
tion engine, which will make n tour of
the central part of the State, travel
ing about 500 miles. Before the start,
central points Will be selected where
the train will stop and build a sample
mile Of good road.
This train will consists of q traction
engine especially made for the work
and fitted with automatic attachments
so that it can be used as a road roller.
There will be an excayator, stone
spreader, stone crusher and several
ordinary small cars used for the pur-
pose of carrying fuel and also for
drawing stone to the point where the
sample road is to be built.
The part of the State through which
the train will pass happens to have an
abundant supply of what are called
out West round heads, which have
been used for stone fences in some 10.
calities along the road. From this
source viii be obtained an adequate
supply Of crushed stone, which viii
form the wearing part OF the road con-
structed and the Senator will see that
macadam road is built.-New York
Sun.