Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-09-17
CLOSING DAY
AT OREGON
STATE FAIR

Continued from page seven.)
ed and much more used 6y the people
but the general government makes n
direct appropriation for these road
Why the discrimination
IL would be unfair to answer tina
over all navigable waterways tn
general government possesses an ex
elusive jurisdiction, when almos
every land road is used by the govern
ment as a post road, over which th'
mails are transported. These arc
known as United States mail routes
and over many the rural free delivery
is extended.
II Is absnFd TO say that congress
can vote millions Of dollars every two
years for postofice baiIdings, and can
not do 50 for the post roads Of the
country. A postoHice building with
no post roads would be unnecessary
The constitution authorizes congress
20 Establish post roads" The
courts now hold that the power given
implies also the power to make and
repair roads on which the q. s. mails
are transported, and TO build post
Offices and repair roads on which the
y. S. mails are carried.
A Superior Central Authority Is Nee.
essary.
The improvement of the waterways
is confined to one controlling, central
authority. Supervision is exercised
BY persons competent and expert as
20 that special duty. A uniform sys
TEN Of engineering is applied TO all,
and pcrmanency is required Of every |
project. The same standard followed |
on the Columbia is followed on the
Mississippi.
Navigation wonld never be safe, If
ID each state or county through which
the navigation extended, different
persons designed and completed the
improvements in such districts. There
would be as many methods as there
were projects. Water transportation,
now the cheapest and best, would be
the most uncertain IL not the most ex.
p,lnsiye. Under the present system,
the government local engineers ex.
anime the various navigable streams
worthy Of improvement upon direction
Of congress and report project,
which IL approved by the chief Of en-
glneers, is usually accepted and the
work undertaken, when appropriation
is mgle. perfect and enduring works
are thus secured.
Chief Difaculty Of Land Roads.
The chief diaiculty to our land
roads consists III want Of uniformity
Of recognized methods, and In appro
printions 20 carry them on. In no two
counties Of a state are the roadwnys
hilkc. Indeed in our own state IL is
diineult to find a semblanee Of the
sane road through two road districts.
There Yill be as many methods en- I
played aa there are road supervisors G
somc will have IN approved system, 1
while the majority will have none, Z
Our roads are never rightly fixed, One '
honr we drive on hard smooth sur. 4
face on good grade, well rounded and :
draiuod, and then suddenly In the next d
hear the road disappears In bed Of 3
mud, of uneven depth, and unseen oh. Z
strnetion. The load which one horse 4
could easily haul an hour before, now a
requires lhree TO perform, saying moth. h
Ing Of rack aud ruin TO vehicle, delay 2
Ia time and expense, r
Horse Power Reduced. 4
The agricultural department esti D
mates thar with the roads OF the ma 4
lion improved and completed, 5000, Il
100 horses will be saved. The cost Of "
zach Is about $50 per year, thus az r,
greEating about slO0,OO0,OOO per an. N
lum, al of which will be saved. With {,
goed roads the demand for good horses D
md good vehicles will be immensely <
increased. Iu
frpight cost Between Good and Bad p
Roads m
Fhe estimated average cost per ii
nue Tor transportation of farm prod 81
is.= s~sE ss present condition Of
oasia l. 80 cents per ton per mile.
'aonting the tonnage Of such products Vi
aeh year from the American farm to /,
he stations wharyes and market z,
laeen- the cost amounts to a total OF Ia
ne billion Of dollars for wagon road nj
alone, ti
And what Is the estimated differ n
ms 10 cost between good roads and 2,
a. roads AS found by experienced "
he difference Is from 10 TO ish Ia
antH per ton per mile, and this ap. d
lied to the tonnage hauled over n
4. II