The Owosso times., 1903-05-22
a LETTER.
Highway Commissioner U. s. Race, OF
Caledonia, Makes a Few Pointed
Suggestions.

Caledonia, Makes a Few Pointed
Suggestions.
EDITOR OF THE OwossO TINES:
Will you permit me to, use your col.
umns to make few remarks about the
roads in this part of the county,? In
particular wish to speak of the present
condition of the roads in reference to its
bearing on the continuance and posi-.
BILE extension of the rural free delivery
service. What l wish to say is based
on my own knowledge of the condition
OF the roads of the township in which
am highway commissioner, as well as
the condition of the roads in other parts
of the county with which / am famil-
lar, and also is based on a recent cons
versation with the rural free delivery
inspector whom, l understand, has al.
ready been detailed to make thorough
inspection, and if necessary, complete
overhauling of the routes in this vicin.
ity, the Hon. S. B. Daboll.
As this letter is practically addressed
to those who are on the rural free
delivery routes running from one OF
another Of the post offices about the
county, there is little need of my talk
ing much time to tell of the condition
OF the roads. You all know what that
condition is The only thing is that
perhaps you are so used to il that you
do not realize how bad it is. The fact
is however, that in many cases the
roads are in such poor shape that it is
only for q very few months in the year
that they ought to be considered even
, passable. The farmers Of this county lose
hundreds and thousands of dollars in
harness, wagons, horses, feed for horses,
and time, on account of bad roads. 1t
takes more time to make haul. They
have to draw smaller loads Even with
the smaller loads the wear on the harness
and wagon is greater 1t takes more
feed to put back the flesh on a team
after terrible haul through muddy
rough roads than it would to restore
them to good working condition after
an easy haul. The time unnecessarily
consumed is too well remembered to
even need speaking of. A business man
who would so neglect part of his bust.
ness as the average farmer neglects the
roads over which every dollar worth
of his produce must be taken would not
expect anything else than to be CLOSED
out before he had run any very extend
en- course.
There is another side to this matter
When the roads are at their worst you
can as general thing stay at home
even if the markets are so much higher
at that time that the difference in the
price for which you could sell your pro
duce during those days and weeks would
pay your road taxs for several years
But when the United States govern
ment through its post Office department
established rural free delivery it did moi
do it on any sunny day schedule. The
United States government does not in
tend, at least, to do things on any sucl
half hearted plan. In the first place i
does not intend to establish any free de
livery route where the roads are no
passable all of the year round 1t thel
exacts that its carriers perform or at
tempt to perform the service on every
day, except Sundays and part only O
: the legal holidays, the whole Of the year
; If a carrier does not try to do this OF
every such day he is not paid for tina
: day and an investigation of his failur,
to make the delivery is likely to follow
This investigation is something TIN
farmers of Shiawassee county shoult
, dread much more than the carriers o
the county. The latter as genera
thing, and so far as l know, without
single exception, have done their bes
. : to, perform daily service over road
l which, if the authorities had seen them
: would have been condemned at once
4 and the service ordered discontinued un
= til the roads should have been built
= The farmers may well count themselve
lucky that kind providence kept tn
rural free delivery inspectors out G
this county during the months of tn
/. past spring when the weather wa jus
= bad enough to show what empty bot
q tomless excuses of muddy roads wer
provided for the United States mail t
q be brought over. A talk with Inspe(
tor S. B. Daboll recently shows ths
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4.