Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1905-04-07

ROAD IMPROVEMENT,
COLONEL r. W. RICHARDSON ON THE
CONSTRUCTION OF HIGHWAYS.

They Must BE Built to Last, He Says,
and Then Taken Care Of-Advises
the Voting of Bonds to Carry on
the Work.
at the Kansas good roads convention
Colonel K. w. Richardson, secretary
Of the National Good Roads associa-
ton, delivered the principal address.
Among other things he said:
Good roads must be founded as
firmly as mans character If he
wants good results therefrom. You
must build well; you must build deep
ly; you must build for days to come.
You must care for road every day
and must never go away to let it take
care of itself. 1t must be nurtured in
to strength, solidity and firmness, and
then II will last like great and good
character.
BE sure of getting good BERN or
embankment on both sides to serve as
walls for the bed. Make the bed into
an oval shape, considerably higher in
the center. Before spreading either
rock or gravel roll firmly. The roller
will find all of the weak places, and
then these can be filled up If this is
done conscientiously there will then
afterward be no breaking down of the
concrete. IL is mistake to make the
road too thick While it does no harm,
II IL IN he %
was surprised when down at Fort
Scott TO find that the road there was
being made eighteen inches in thick
ness. The majority of the roads are
now being made only nine inches in
thickness, while many are being made
not more than six inches.
"The point is not quantity, but quail
lty. Make six inches of roadbedproperly
and 1t is better than sixteen or eighteen
inches poorly constructed any time
Let me plead with you to get experts
to build your macadam roads Get
men who know their business. Spend
your money properly at the start and
then you will have no trouble.
ANOMt AINlt ult lNO ways VI pay llk
for a road-by tile voting of bonds and
by direct taxation While do not
want to arbitrarily advise following
the former, 1t has big advantages, and
the principal one is that it makes
money available at once. Then, too,
1t must be remembered that in the
building OF a road 1t should not all be
laid upon the farmer. That is unfair
and unjust and is a burden to him. Be
sides, the value of a good road is ap-
parent to man living in town just as
well as one living in the country. In
fact 1t affects the city man more acute
ly.
"A farmer can practically come to the
city when he pleases. for he always
has enough provisions to supply him
for his immediate needs, and can wait
for clear skies and better roads But
the man in the city who deals In farm
products as many do, must turn his
money quickly. He must sell his goods
in their season. Margins are small,
and quantity determines his wealth.
Therefore it must not be forgotten that
the merchant in the city should feel
1t is just as incumbent upon himself
to see that the roads in the country
are good as the farmer who must al
ways use them to get TO town.
Don't forget another thing when
you go to lay out road. Don't forget
that you have Il right of eminent do
main to choose the route Of the high
way. A railroad has that same privi-
lege Did you ever see its engineers
Just take line and follow it regard
less of the natural advantages. But
that is done in section line road
Just because the land is measured OF