Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-04
WORK FOR GOOD ROADS.

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That the results OF the international
Good Roads Congress recently held IN
Buffalo will be far reaching and of great
pubic Importance there can be little
doubt The interest shown in the con-
yention by the officials of the various
states of the union and by foreign gov
ernments is guarantee that the move-
ment for better highways has taken
firm root and will grow and flourish.
Fcrty-two states and three foreign gov
ernments were represented at the BUT
falo meetings, Belgium sending as
delegate across the Atlantic one OF her
best known civil engineers, who ls an
expert on the subject of roads.
The expressions of opinion as to the
best methods of building and maintain
ing roads showed wide diversity OF
ideas, but the result of all the discus
sions was the announcement that the
better plan for each section would be to
use the material nearest at hand and
best adapted for highway purposes.
This was almost foregone conclusion.
1t was shown by Professor Holmes,
state geolog!st of North Carolina: who
was one of the speakers, that there We're
places in South Carolina where roads
could be built for SIPS or $3.50 mile. Az
contrast to this Captain Chittenden,
OF the army engineers. in charge OF Yell
lowstone Park improvements showed
that it cost in some places in the great
national pleasure ground about Sl25
mile to keep the roads properly watered
in summer The experiences OF New
Jersey Massachusetts, Connecticut and
New York were largely drawn upon for
the benefit Of the southern and western
states, and the explanation of the
Higbie-Armstrong law In this state by
State Engineer Bond was of great
value.
The employment Of convicts in road
building was urgently advocated, as
was the creation of road bureau in the
department of agriculture, expanding
the present duties of the office OF public
road Inquiries. The point of convict en-
ployment is one on which there has been
q great deal of discussion, and the value
Of convict labor on the highways of the
various states was shown by Senator
Earle, of Michigan. whose announce
nent that S6,000,o0o days labor was
locked up In the prisons and peniten-
tiaries Of the United States which could
be utilized in improving highway con-
Gitions caused many of the delegates to
decide on active measures looking to
that end before their respective legisla-
lures. There seems to be no good rea-
son why convicts should not be en-
ployed in this way. The cry of opposi-
ton to or competition with free labor
lis practically eliminated. The men are
busy on works of public utility and i'm
portance, and with the state owning the
machinery for grinding rock and pro-
ducing road material many miles of
perfect modern highway could be made
each year with little more expense than
is now entailed In keeping these men IN
comparative idleness There willtbe a
number OF measures presented to the
various legislatures at the next sessions
covering this point, and it might be we'll
for voters who are In favor Of good
roads-and that means every voter who
thinks on the subject at alto look at
ter aspirants for legislative honors and
make sure that they have decided Views
on the subject.
New York's good road building is at
present far behind that Of Massachus-
|etts Connecticut or New Jersey; but
under the Higbie-A Armstrong law and a
Legislative enactment providing for the
use of convicts by the various counties
which have applied for the benefits Of
the state law, there Is no reason why