The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1903-02-20

hi many years in official work and pub
lie life. give his thoughts in full they
heed 10 comment. Yours respectfully,
A. l. MASON,
Chairman Good Roads Meeting.
Xenia, Ohio, January %, 1903.-Friend
Mason: Relative to road construction
In Greene county, Ohio. To make in
formation reliable and instructive in
any other section of the country, condi-
lions under which roads have been con-
structed here should be fully understood,
such as character Of country and soil,
the proximity of suitable road material,
&C., all of which influence the cost of
construction. TO be able to specify how
much material should be put on road
10 make it sufficient to stand the traffic
with the minimum amount of repairs, is
< khe economical road for any community
10 build.
This county, in the western half, is
folling and in many places rather billy,
with an abundance OF gravel in the hills
suitable for road purposes. The eastern
BART of the county is very level, most OF
the land requiring understanding, with
large open bitches to carry the water to
The main outlets; gravel rather scarce
and nearly all under water when found.
Ii some portions where gravel is scarce
i good quality of limestone exists, and
since the advent of stone crushers few
roads have been made with crushedstone.
Greene county has been improving its
loads for the last thirty-five years, under
the various laws that have been enacted
from time to time until all the principal,
End in fact nearly all the roads in the
county are now more or less improved
BY grading and graveling or covering
with broken stone.
& These improvements have nearly all
been made by assessments on the lands
Benefited, lying within one and two
miles on either side of the road. In I'M
broving the most important roads, two
niles on either side, with circle of two
niles around each end being assessed
according to benefits, taking into con.
liberation the accessibility of each indi-
Yidual to the proposed improvement and
\ tag him accordingly. Alter the most
r3,portant roads were improved in this
manner, the law was so modified that a
nile ON each side OF the improvement
could be taxed by u uniform tax on both
land and personal property, and in
Uses where parallel or nearly parallel
roads run nearer than two miles of each
olher the territory was divided between
Inc roads, even when no improvement
should be contemplated on one of the
foads; leaving the property adjacent
any road to make its Improvements
when desired, by petition to the county
commissioners by a majority of the
realty owners in any such district. At
least 80 per cent of the mileage of roads
ID the county were improved under the
laws above mentioned. These roads
have been kept in repair by each town
ship, by the trustees levying small
lax on, all the taxable property in each
tpwnship and having it expended on the
rpads. Many of the roads of minor i'm
portance have been greatly improved
But of this fund, both by tax in cash ex.
pended by the supervisor of the district
md by tax worked out by each indiyid-
nal under the direction OF such super
Visor For few years past laws have
heen enacted which permit the county
commissioners to raise money by gen
eral tax on the county and apply to road
construction when a road has been Pc
titioned for by majority of the resi-
dents along any proposed improvement,
md assessing rs per cent of the cost on
tie abutting land owners. Owing to the
fAet that most of such Hesitation has
been held to be special in nature and
Operation, very little work has been
done in this manner.
Under the original two-mile assess
ment plan the work was sold to the
lowest responsible bidder at price per
rod or mile for the completed road, the
connty issuing bonds in anticipation Of
the taxes to pay for the work.
Binder the one mile system the law
provided for the appointment of three
special commissioners to take charge
and build the road. The special COM
missioners would issue bonds and super
wise the construction, receiving two
dollars per day for their services. This
plan was very popular and most of the
mileage in the county was constructed
In this way. The entire line to be built
being divided into three parts, each
conimissioner personally taking charge
of d division. The customary price was
paid for teams and labor preference
being given to tax payers). Each COM
missione. kept strict account with
each individual performing labor, and
BY presenting from time to time his pay
roll to the county auditor, payment was
made from the fund provided for by the
sale of bonds. The most influential and
heaviest taxpayers along any improve
ment was generally appointed to take
charge, and | have never heard of a
prcsecution or accusation of the misap-
propriation of funds under this arrange
ment As rule the community built
the road within themselves, and when
through had both the money and the
improvement, with several years in
which to pay off the bonds. When road
improvement was at its highest ebb in
this county there were many complaints
about the reckless expenditure of money
for Toad purposes, but it proved to be a
great blessing to the county.
The cost of these roads has varied
from one to three thousand per mile, in
sonle cases much more, depending on
the amount of grading, etc. The bridg-
ing and culverting was generally done
by the county. In a few instances
money was spent iniudiciously by the
ns6 of an excessive amount of material
inereasing the cost of construction so
much that the interest on the excess
would more than maintain good road
With less material in the original, con-
,ruction. A road covered with sufficient
iaterial TO make firm and unyielding
s that will only have to have the
Enout material replaced on top from
8 to time, | believe to be the econo-
3aal road to construct.
4I Ifade too light and is constantly
moving and yielding under the traffic,
then repairs become so costly that such
read is not economical. Some judg-
l1ent should be used in constructing a
road, but if you should err in your judg-
1..Ist n vrnuld ho hact 70 bova too muab