The Mankato free press., 1905-01-27
Senator Eberhart Offers Sug-
gestions to Delegates.
Gov rnor John A. Johnson Fa-
vors Improved Highways.
The Officers Are Chosen For
the Ensuing Year.

The three good roads bills which are
now before the legislature were the prin-
cipal subjects discussed at the meeting
of the State Good Roads association yes
terday at the old capitol.
President George w. Cooley of Mime
apolis in his annual address called atten-
tion to the fact that under the present
laws more than $4,000, 900 had been ex-
pended upon the 10000 miles of road now
in the state, and that the present condi-
tion OF the roads did not justify the
$1,000 which had been expended for each
mile.
The failure of the present laws is due
to the general inefficiency of the statute
labor system and the incompetence of
local road overseers, insufficient revenue
popular aversion to issue of bonds, lack
of any superior and central authority
capable of co-ordinating the efforts of
local communities and general discour-
agement because after years of labor and
taxation no general improvement has re-
suited. Laws similar to the proposed
laws have been in successful operation
in eleven states, and if the people will
be given to understand that the money
will be wisely expended, they will not
object to the proposed laws.
The bills introduced in the legislature
by Senator Eberhardt and Representa-
tives Peterson and Johnson were read
and discussed. The Eberhardt and Pet
erson bills are substantially the same
and the sentiment of those present was
in favor of these. The bill provides for
a commission of three members This
is the principal objection urged against
the bill, but it was brought out in the
meeting that the tax provided for could
not be levied until the commission is es-
tablished, without a change in the con-
stitutiOn.
Senator Eberhardt Talks.
Senator Eberhardt and others speaking
for the bill argued that the commission
and the state road engineer provided for
will supervise the work throughout the
state and educate the local overseers in
the construction of roads. The trouble
with present laws is not that too little
money is expended, but that it is ex-
pended unwisely and sometimes selfishly.
The work done by the commission will
be done directly among the people who
pay the taxes and therefore the commits
sion will not be likely to abuse its privi-
leges.
The bill also provides that one mem
ber of the board be from the southern
one from the northern and one from the
central part of the state. Another OBJ
lection urged against the bill was that
state roads will mean a few good roads
here and there between large cities and
that the people who paid the taxes will
not be benefited. The trainers of the
bill replied that is not the intention to
build short piece of asphalt pave
ment here and there, but to improve
all roads as well as can be done with the
materials at hand. All the delegates
were agreed that something should be
done to get start and to educate the
people to the need of good roads such
as has been tried so successfully in sew
eral other states.
"Some who kick on paying salaries
for good supervision" said one speaker
'are each year wasting twenty five time;
as much on the present made roads a.
the proposed tax would amount to. No
road was ever built without good en-
gineer, and if we doubt the motives o.
our officials we will never get anything
DONE"
Governor Favors Good Roads.
Gov. Johnson, who had been invited t.
address the convention spoke in part a.
follows: "No movement in the state i
more important that the good road
movement. l have for many years beel
an advocate of good roads. You are con
fronted with great difficulties ard ar
doing splendid work. I wish you wei