The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-03-30
SPROWL GOOD ROAD LAW.
Representative from the State Department
Addressed Meeting in Court House.
WHY NOT HAVE GOOD ROADS ?
Told How Fulton County May Get Her Share
Of the s6,5O0,OOO Appropriation In.
teresting Details.


farmer in the County could not
have been present at the meeting
in the Court House last Wednes-
day evening. Every one who
gives the matter any thought
whatever is disgusted with the
condition of our public roads, and
with the manner in which money
is spent on them from year to
year without any apparent i'm
provement.
AS Is now perhaps known to
every one, the legislature at It's
session two years ago appropria.
ted siX-and a half millions of dol.
lars of the States money to the
towns aips of Pennsylvania to aid
in bringing up our roads TO a
tirst-class standard, and provld-
ed for Highway Com mission to
see that the provisions OF the law
were faithfully carried out.
1t was for the purpose of crea.
ting greater interest in the i'm
provement of our roads, and of
pointing out to our people how to
get the State aid, that Mr.. G.. B.
Statler, Assistant Highway Com
missioner, came over from Har.
risburg to talk to Fulton county
people last Wednesday night.
There are in Pennsylvania 154S
townships, which means that
there are about twice that mum.
ber-or more than 5000, town
ship road supervisors. These Of
ticers are responsible for the
care of SO, 423 miles of township
roads, and, as has been demon
strated by the work done in the
past, they have been spending
about six millions of dollars a
year in throwing dirt on the road
and shovellng mud Off. Fulton s
20 supervisors have 8l6 miles to
look after, and spend each year
$4,000. Unless they pursue a
change of policy, they will go on
spending a similar sum year aft
er year, and our great-grandchil-
dren will find the same mud
holes, the same rocky batters,
the same steep grades, as are
ours with which now to contend.
Well, what's to be done alb ut
1t? "Whv," said Mr.. Stailer,
"place yourselves under the pro
vision of the new law, and for ev
cry dollar you as q township
spend, the County will give you
one and the State four"
That Looks all right, but how
shall we proceed?
Nothing easier. The township
supervisors and their clerk hdre
a meeting. A resolution i pass
ed and put upon record to im
prove a certain road-distance to
be not less than one eighth of
mile, according to the provision
of the Sprowl Good Road law
and notify the county commits
sioners, who will make a survey
of the proposed road and send
the same to the State Highway
Department, who will send at
once Com missioner to look over
the road and determine what
changes-if any,-and make an
estimate of the cost. The matter
is now ready to be submitted to
contractors for bids after thirty
days public notice."
But the county com missioners
might not pay any attention to
the request from the supervis-
Ors.
"rhey MUST give it attention,
and prompt attention they have
no option in the matter. So, you
see, that a. far as the supervis.
ors are concerned, they have
nothing to do but pick out their
piece of road, say they want 1t
''made," and then provide for the
ne.dollar in-six that it Will cost
to do the work.
1t is not a matter of surprise
that Wells township, tie first in
the county to take advantage of
the States and to establish a high
school, should be the first to ask
the State to help improve their
roads, for 1t has already filed it's
request with the county comms.
sioners. The probability Is, that
Ayr township will be the next,
and there is no good reason why
there should not be others.