Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1904-03-02
Practical Suggestions on Public
improvements

# the Latimer and Brownlow bill
o will bear scrutiny. That goo
roads are needed and de-ired, non
will deny. How to get them, an
r get them most economically, is tn
: problem to be solved. Under tn
r Browalow bill, without going int
. details, Rockbridge could not pos
sibly get over 50, Doom three years
or 81 666. 66 annually. This amour
: will be reduced by cost Of admiais
tering the fund by the government
agent, by graft, and by royalty t.
the road-machine trust until il
would be Il mere drop IN the bucket
to county that is already spend.
ing $l5 900 annually on roads. If
this large amount makes no show
how much m re Will this small
increment help?
| submit it is not more money we
need, but more judicious expen-
diture of the money we now have
and spend thoughtlessly. Fifteen
thousand dollars spent annually in
picking down the ruts of half
drained roads. and throwing up
the silt out of the side bitches,
worse drained than the roads them
selves. always reminded M o. the
expression, "money to burr" Let
us cease this foolishness and in
augurate system that will put
our hard earned cash in perma-
nent Improvement. Say we would
spend $40, 600 annual y IN five miles
Of good macadam road and the
OTHER So, 600 in grading and keep
ing in repair the dirt roaos of the
county. Eight months Of the year
the dirt roads will keep them selves
in repair if properly gtaded, and |
are very good roads for that length |
of time Let us try this for five
years, when we will have twenty
five miles of good macadam road, an
object lesson in good roaa making,
an experience in the cost of stone
roads. ! think it is unsafe to es-
innate the cost of mile Of mac
adam road at less than 50, 900 per
mile, and it will require the great
EST economy and best of manage
nent to do it for that sum. The
hardness of the stone to quarry and
Freak, and proximity to road bed
md management will cause prices
o vary. For instance, under gov
officials the road from the
:. d o. railway on james river to
Natural Bridge cost about SO 900
'er mile, and the Road COmmi.s- !
oner Of Massachusetts in therecent
God roads convention said that
tate had spent 50, 600, 900 in build
~ 800 miles of road, or 10000
er mile. In Rock bridge the ma p
rial is generally good and close
hand and believe -, 600 per
lie to be conservative estimate. u
As preliminary to this, however, u
I the Legislature Of Virginia re-
i've never to discuss roads again. ii
I'd turn over the whole subject Of d,
ad maxim 20 the Be ard Of Super n
sors Of each county Our super v,
sors are nearly always oul lead dc
& farmers; most deeply Interest In
], among our most intelligentand an
actical men, and are more direct ho
responsible to the people than lrr
y officers We have. If they don't TN
assure up to their duty we can lie
arge pretty quickly. And while 70 90
and Republicans fight the
rn other politically like dogs, / use
Il say il for Rookbridge, they Is Is,
We: carry their politics into ques- ~ :
Ms before the Board If Superyis- cebb
tut vie with each other for the Y.
It administration OF county j.
airs. TAX
reason why Il general
q law is not desirable is the
dltions and materials are not
same ~ a the counties. Some m
st nave stone ROADS while theirs CO.
1t resort to different Kind Of Mo.
i, according to the kind of
erial most handy, i
very pertinent question is what p pe%,
national government aid cost Mich
We seldom get something for
ling. 1t will cost us taxes of g
eqHaI amount to be levied by
State government. it will cost ~~
hitting the government 10 IN Gf
aking other great enterprises
as irrigating the great West
ralnage canals and dams, cost
not millions but billions.
this connection let us not for -
he fate of the Blair Education - Ia
ill, Certainly if anything
appeal to or approval it
d be d scheme for lie better
alton Of our children, hence
Dill won popularity in mnny
tons for awhile, until the
thought of the Americas
G iaia i out cold.
ne say let lis bond the old W,
y for II hundred thousand w.
8 and start the ball a-rolIing. ~
g just emerging from under cyl,
ladow Of a great debt, which
ing like an incubus above us
people for thirty-fve years,
aing qpr energies, prohibit rp..
IMMIGRATION, and causing us N ,Tyi
the pinching of the most New c,
te economy ard poverty. Let Corn NJ
slow to place ourselves AMIN Pota;Ae