The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-02-27

necticut. The law allows the commits
sioner the approvalo of all bids submitted
for the work, and the appointment of
whatever inspection is necessary upon
the section of highway being improved
under state aid The approval Of all
contracts rests with the state.
do not think it wise, from my own
personal knowledge, of what is required
in that establishment of a system antic-
ipating the Improvement of your high
ways, to appropriate one dollar for road
construction in advance of an appropria-
ton for the future until thorough and
complete investigation has been made
of the conditions of the highways of the
state. the material available, and the
proper methods to pursue. For every
dollar that you expend in attaining in,
formation along the lines l have sug-
gested it will return thousand fold in
the economical and scientific develop
menr of your highways in the future
l have made little inquiry into this
question while have been sojourning
within your borders into many things
having bearing upon this question,
and find at every point the conditions
for taking up road reform in this state
are great deal more advantageous
than in my own state. In the first
place, let me make a few comparisons.
The state of Connecticut has popula-
ton of not quite one million. The
grand list of our state is only 200, 900,
900.
The husbandmen of our state are not as
we'll situated financially as are those en-
gagged in similar employment in the state
of Michigan. Our little towns are very
poor. 1t is very difficult to make roads
in Connecticut, and many times very
expensive. and towns have simply toll
Grated that which they have recognized
as being wrong, simply by reason of the
fact that they were not financially able
to make the improvements. Thousands
of acres of land in my state it is impos-
sible to cultivate at all by reason of the
preponderance of rock, also of low land.
The area of our state is FIVE thousand
and four square miles, about an eleventh
part of the size of the state of Michi-
gan.
The number of miles in this area is
considerably larger than the total mum
Der of miles in use today in the state of
michigan. There are not many miles
in the state of Michigan where the
grades are excessive. OF the hundred
thousand square miles in Michigan it is
safe to say that three-quarters of that
amount are fairly level roads, and l
think you will all agree with me that
have been very moderate in the estimate
and of the total of fifty-seven thousand
square miles of area covered by the
state there is not a very large mileage
but what is tillable soil or can be made
So One glance at the report of the
secretary of the United States Board of
Department of Agricultural will satisfy
anyone of the resources in comparison
of the two states.
1 firmly believe that if the state of
Michigan establishes highway COM
mission to take up this great question,
and it is built upon plan which will
be broad in its policy and intelligent in
its treatment of this question, that no
matter what has been the prosperity of
this state in the past, it will be appre.
ciated to an extent that is immeasure.
able in the building up of the natural
resources that you have within your
borders The commissioner discussed
the necessity for instruction, and show.
ed by many illustrations and facts its
necessity. He also called attention to
the question of the extension of the free
rural delivery system; he also showed
how the question of improved highways
entered into the question of domestic
relations in the home; he also took up
the question of roads as an Inducement
to those who make their summer home
for pleasure, recreation and health and
how the reputation of the state along
this line can be increased and many
other features growing out of state
system of instruction in highway i'm.
pro yement
Senator II. S. Earle, OF Detroit, spoke
on "a Com parison OF Highway Sys.
TENS" He said in part: There are
several syste In vogue at the pres
emit time in the different states, fol
purpose OF improving the roads, and II
becomes our duty In Michigan to study
these different systems and adopt such
a one as will be the best for us. We
are now working under what may
we'll be termeda conglomerate system.
State system to the extent that we can
give swamp land for state roads, coun.
ty system which permits Of county aid
and township system where counties
refuse to adopt the county system and
the old and tried statute labor system.
The first practically amounts to moth