The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-15
NEWS OF THE CITY
WANT GOOD ROADS TO
COUNTRY DISTRICTS
Eiahth Warders Want Trade
Now Going. to Minneapolis
Headed Off

The necessity for good country roads
I'm Ramsey county which shall join good
streets in ST. Paul was discussed in all
its phases by the Eighth Ward I'M
provement association last night
A note of alarm was sounded calling
upon the city and county officials to
take immediate steps to remedy the
evil of poor roads before Minneapolis
shall reach out SO far in the natural
trade territory of st. Paul as to pre-
clude the immediate possibility of re-
claiming it,
No specific recommendations were
made by the association as it was
deemed best to await the availability
of funds which can be diverted to this
purpose, and also it was thought wise
TO ascertain the sentiment of the
Eighth and adjacent wards as to the
streets to be improved at this time.
Favors Good Roads
F. NJ. Dolan, president of the associa-
ton, in speaking along the general
lines of good roads, said:
Il don't believe that the city or coun-
ty can spend money more judiciously
or that will be of more lasting good to
the community than in the building Of
good roads. If st. Paul wishes to hold
up her head as a twin city and not as
suburb of Minneapolis, it must wake
up to the situation confronting this
city. The good roads built by the an
clent Romans out of Rome and extend
ing like arteries through the country,
with signs stuck up on every cross
road, All, roads lead to Rome was not
the least of the considerations that
made Rome the leading city of the
world. If we will give the farmers
good roads through the city and the
tccf. 4
roads through the country districts, we
will get their trade.
"St. Paul is not in the position of a
city standing alone. We have shrewd
competitor in Minneapolis. and that
city is reaching for trade that should
be ours"
AS an illustration Of the effects of
good roads, or at least better than
Ramsey county affords, Nicholas Klein
stated that he left the hay market in
st. Paul, in which there were three
loads of hay brought in by the farm
ers, and went to the hay market in
Minneapolis. There he stated that the
entire yard and sheds We're full of load
ed hay racks and farmers selling their
hay He further said that the farm
ers north of Como avenue, and others
living almost as near Minneapolis as
st. Paul, continually do all their buy
Ing and selling in Minneapolis. It was
his opinion that this was caused by
nothing but the almost impossible
roads and streets in this county and
city.
Good Roads Spell Prosperity
A. J. Ries, a travelling salesman. who
has made a study of the commercial
conditions existing in the Twin Cities,
gave it as his unqualified opinion that
the one thing that would contribute
more to the prosperity of this city than
any other was better roads.
Nicholas Gillen felt that the asso-
citation should turn its efforts more par
ticularly toward macadamiZing Uni
versity avenue, but this view of the
matter was not the sentiment of the
association, which was for the i'm
provement Of streets leading to the
city line in some other direction than
Minneapolis.
Several other members of the asso-
citation spoke emphatically in favor Of
the proposition to extend those streets
leading directly to the farming dis
tricts, and open up a way for the
farmers to enter st. Paul with their
produce, and return to their homes with
goods purchased in this cftv