The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-08-28
PLAN FOR BETTER ROADS
DR.. ]. w. Andrews Introduces Unique,
But Practical Proposition.
Board of Trade Looks With Favor
Upon the Idea.
Committee Appointed to Take Up the
Matter at Once.
DR.. FolIman Discusses Highway Build
ing in Sarcastic Vein.
From Tuesdays Daily.

result in the construction of good roads
His communication follows:
Mankato, Mimi, Aug. 24.-To the Hon.
orable Board of Trade, Gentlemen:
Much has been said the last few years
by this and other commercial bodies
about good roads. Individuals have dis
cussed the subject; conventions have
been called for the purpose of agitation
and education along the line of the best
methods of improving the highways, and
the government has sent a good roads
train through the country for demon
strating the methods of good roads
building, yea more, committee recently
appointed by the board of trade to ascer-
tain why more farmers do not trade in
Mankato, said in its report the follow
ing: But, there are other causes which
we find that help to keep the farmers out
of our market and these reasons should
demand the attention of your honorable
body as we'll as the attention of every
retailer of merchandise and every buyer
of produce in this city. We refer to the
absolutely disgraceful condition of the
country roads leading to Mankato. For
the last four months nearly every road
that leads to the city has been in such
shape that it was almost an impossi-
bility to haul a load thereon. This is
something that we can and should rem
edy. Other efforts to draw trade here
are useless if we do not improve our pub
lie highways and make inducements for
farmers to come here One farmer in
forms your committee that he had a load
of veal to sell and telephoned to Man
katO to get prices, but on account of the
bad road decided to, and did haul his
veal to another town and sold it for 81
less than he was offered by the Mankato
Packing house." All these things were
timely and well, vet the fact remains
that the roads leading into Mankato are
most miserable. l beg leave therefore,
to submit plan for the consideration of
this honorable body which I believe can
be made practicable if judiciously carried
out. I purpose that an association be
formed the name and title of which shall
be The Good Roads Association of Man.
katO This association shall create
fund known as the Good Roads fund The
fund shall be raised by dividing it into
$50 shares at Sl.00 per share. Each sub
scriber who places 81 after his name shall
be a share holder, although he may SUBJ
scribe for and hold as many shares as he
wishes. Each and every subscriber shall
pay into the Good Roads fund at the
time of his subscription 81 for every
share taken by him. That will place in
the good roads fund $3.50. Now let the
association agree to pay so per cent of
the cost of making every mile of good
road within six miles of Mankato on
any or all of the following roads, viz:
North Eagle Lake. South Eagle Lake,
4 To
Rapidan and Belgrade on the following
conditions.
First No single mile of road shall
cost more than $780, nor less than
$780, Every mile of road claiming this
benefit must be we'll drained and substan-
TALLY built. Plans and specifications
must be prepared for each and every
mile of road by an expert road builder,
and no mile of road shall be accepted and
paid for except upon the approval of a
committee herein to be named.
Second As above indicated $3.50. will
be raised and placed in the good roads
fund when the association is organized.
The association will stand ready to pay
this amount, or less as the case may be,
on the first mile of road built and APP
proved by the committee. Then the share
holders shall again pay into the good
roads fund 81 per share thereby again in
creasing the fund to $3.50 or more, and
fund will always stand ready to aid in
the building of any one mile of road.
Should the building of more than one
mile of road be undertaken at the same
time, the share holders will be required
to paw into the road fund 81 per share
for every mile of road in process of con-
struction.
The committee to whom these plans
and specifications shall be submitted and
by whom every mile of road must be ap-
proved before this association shall aid
in its construction shall be the following:
G.. NJ Palmer, the chairman of the board
of county commissioners, the city engi-
neer of the city of Mankato, the chair
man of the board of supervisors of the
town in which the road is built, and the
county surveyor.
By this plan the citizens of Mankato
will pay one-half of the cost for build
ing every mile of road whiting six miles
of Mankato on any of the eight roads
above mentioned. Let the association rec
ommend and use its good offices that the
county pay one-fourth and the town in
which the road is built the other one
fourth.
For the sake of making this PROPOSE
ton lucid, will assume that the associa
ton is organized and that the firm of
Nvuuist and Iverson subscribe for two
shares of stock. / will assume farther
that the offer of the association is ac-
cepted by some town, and that that
town builds one mile of good roads, ex-
pending $50 on the same. Then Messrs.
Nyouist and Iverson will pay So toward
that improvement. If six miles of such
road is built they will pay $l2.
Gentlemen is not this plan feasible!
Would it not prove most excellent in
vestment for the business men OF Man
kato?
DIR. Andrews made few remarks in
support of his plan, maintaining that 1t
was not necessary to macadamize the
country highways, but that if they could
be well graveled and drained no trouble
would be had with them thereafter.
Good roads could be constructed at the
rate of $500 per mile. The only way to
build the roads was to build them; talk
ing would accomplish nothing.
H. A. Patterson favored any plan that
would result in better roads leading into
Mankato. He was of the opinion that the
amount of money to be collected from
each shareholder was too small. He
would be glad to have $4,000 or $780,
600 expended upon the roads; the money
could be used to no better advantage.
DIR. Andrews stated that one of the