The Marble times and Crystal silver lance., 1901-07-19
Roads in Mining Districts.

Roads in Mining DfStriCtSs
The Denver Mining Reporter truth
fully remarks that the roads in our
mining districts are as a rule very
badly laid out and quite as badly kept
in repairs. These remarks apply quite
as much to the roads in our great
camps as to the long roads in the
smaller and more isolated mining dis
tricts. No one would expect, of course,
to see perfectly graded and macada-
mized roads in such places. Still
there is no excuse for the miserable
apologies for roads such as we usually
see. Good roads form good invest
ment. Hauling can be done quicker
and cheaper, there will be less wear
and tear on the wagons and animals,
and lastly there will be fewer accidents
to teamsters. The condition of the
roads is due to two causes: first, the
method of laying them out; second,
the manner of keeping them in repair.
In new districts, in which there are
no roads, the man who blazes the trail
is usually in hurry to reach his
iourney's end and he aims to get
through as quickly as possible. He
does not spend much time in fixing
road. The next man that comes along
follows his predecessor tracks and a
road is established, Once established
it seems impossible to get anyone to
look out new road, and no one under
any pretext will leave the established
road, and thus the road is laid out.
When the district becomes settled
enough to have a road supervisor
some one is appointed who has big
family, a number of teams or ''pull. !"
The question is never considered as to
what qualifications he may have for
building roads-anyone can build
road. When appointed and the time
comes to commence work on the roads
he notifies his neighbors that they must
pay sundry dollars, or get out and
work on the roads, unless they are
exempt for some reason. Now it goes
against the grain for any ordinary in
dividual to pay taxes, when he can get
out of them, and the number of ex-
emptions claimed are astonishing.
The whole population are either over
age, under age, veterans or are con-
nected with the militia. We once saw
man try to levy taxes on "a camp OF
sheep shearers in Arizona. The father
of the camp, a steady eyed, gray beard
ed man, claimed exemption as being
under age; in fact, all in the camp
were under age. The road supervisor
looked the situation over and con-
cluded that all were too young, or too
tough, TO be called on TO pay taxes.
However, when all veterans, militia,
etc., are exempted small residum re-
main who are held liable. Now it is
infinitely better to make a bluff at
working on the road than to pay out
hard United States coin. On the ap-
pointed day all such will go out with
well-filled lunch baskets and ''work"
on the roads. Under such system
how can we expect to have anything
but the roads we see. 1t seems to us
that if all roads were placed in charge
of the county surveyor. who is invari-
ably civil engineer, and that if all
road taxes were paid in money we
would be in fair way to have good
roads. Why there should be SO many
exemptions from road tax is also a
mystery, since all of us use them.
Under our proposed system, which is
practically the Montana system, any
roads improperly laid out would be
made more perfect, and instead of
patching up every year an old road a
new road would be laid out, which
could be kept in repair more cheaply
and give more satisfaction in every
day use.