The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1905-07-28
ROAD Lew INCREASED
$4,000 Added 10 the Road Levy
form kt Year.

With the subst tial increase which
the county board has made in the
levy this year 70 Moad purposes, it is
expected that co#lty road building
and improvement Twill receive quite
an impetus next ar, when it becomes
available, says 0Ae Duluth Herald.
Last year the levyproVided S55 900 for
the building and Improvement of the
roads and this yea the sum for that
purpose has been fixed at S65. 900.
While in some otHlf new country the
additional $1,000 might not build
many new roads 81 meet the expense
of all the new highways that are real
ly necessary for tie new farming COM
munitieS that arg starting up, it is
felt by the commissioners to be a step
in the right direction.
Under the law permitting a mill
levy for road purposes the county
board might hayesmade the road levy
as high as S92,O00 In fact some of the
commissioners We in favor of push
ing the levy up t about that figure.
After CONSIDERING the matter, how
ever, and bearing IN mind the pro-
tests which the cHy taxpayers always
make against Ia ge county road levy,
the board decided ito leave the figures
as arranged by I'll auditor at $50, 900.
With the dema b for new roads and
the improvements old roads, the at
tention of the cd aty commissioners
is being turned nHre and more every
year to modern ðods of keeping
them in repair. Ene of the members
of the board rec billy made the re-
mark that there De localities in st.
Louis county wi re the county can
eXpend considerable amount of
money in road bthpding in one year
and the next veal t will cost almost
as much to repaiEit. This is said to
be especially trudin the range dis
trlcts where the amber companies GO
in for heavy haulifg on new roads in
the spring of the II Il when the ground
is softening, and ampletely ruin tile
new roads. InstSsees of this sort are,
known to have 0tured within the
past year in one of the districts. The
road built last year to give an outlet
90 a number of isolated settlers was
appropriated in the spring by lum-
Der company and the heavy loads
have, it is claimed, put the road in
such condition that it will cost almost
as much to repair it as it would to re-
build a new highway. The county, it
seems, has no recourse in case like
this. There is said to be no law pro-
hibiting tie lumber companies from
going on any or all the county roads
with heavy loads when the ground is
soft and without eating them up I'M
til they are nearly impossible.
Modern road building in the North
west these days is done largely by the
means of road machines. A few years
ago it was not supposed that road
machine could be made to stand the
hard work it must be put to in build
ing road through new country, but
the manufacturers have experimental
and perfect machines which are
claimed to stand he severest of tests.
These are, as rule, much heavier in
construction than those used in the
older and more tllickley settled por-
tions of the state, but they have, 1T is
claimed, demonstrated time and again
in this northern country their adapt
ability to the use for which they were
intended.
A large amount Of work with road
grader has already been accomplished
in st. Louis county, particularly so
within the last year, both by the
county and by the towns, some of
which own their own grader. Wher-
ever the road grader was used last
year it is said that by far the best
roads can beyfound; roads that we're
hardly affected by the recent heavy
rains because they were so construct
ed that the water ran off the center
and was carried away by the bitches
at the side. Some of the commission
ers of this county who have already
made use of the graders claim that
they will save their own cost In max
ing of comparatively few miles of
new road, One Of the county COM
missioners assertsithat there is soil in
this county where q mile of road could
be made per day.With grader,
st. Louis county however, is not
entirely covered with soil so easily
worked up as that. In the range dis
trlct, the commissioners say there are
| localities where it-would be difficult
to find any soil. 1t is In the range
districts where the graders cannot be
used to so great disadvantage, except
| in certain localities. In those districts
an immense amount OF rock would be
encountered. Commissioner Ryan
cave fiat dvnantta il the only HrOad