The Greeley tribune., 1906-02-15

so many communications on the
county roads question, for and
against the present system OF
method that somewhat reluctantly II
has decided to open its columns TO
free discussion of the subject by any
one who may have something TO say.
The public roads question is vital
one. and perhaps some suggestions OF
value may be found in the COM
munications that may be received
and published. The editor Will re-
serve at all time the right to edit
freelys any matter that may be sent
IN, that personal feeling may enter
into the discussions as little as pos
sible.
The following communication was
received this week:
ITO the Editor of the Tribune: Il
wonder if l mag register kick after
suffering long in silerce. l have
been a taxpayer in this county for
good many years and have watched
the county officials waste my money
on the roads and have said nothing.
But now since very important and
costly piece of road construction
north of Greeley is being botched
and spoiled, patience and silence
ceases to be virtue, ana l am ready
to register a kick and in making 1t
l challenge the disproval Of single
statement that l make, and yet l
only claim to know the A. B. C.'s
of the business. In building this
road in the bottom north Of town
the first and most important prin-
ciple in road construction is being
violated and five years hence the
farmer (who, notwithstanding the
fact he has paid his road tax, has
been called upon to donate his SER
vices to the county, will be called
upon again to do the same job over.
The whole trouble is tie underlying
dirt bed is not being put in proper
shape for the gravel. From the
Howard bridge to the tree in the
middle of the bottom the bed instead
of being raised in the middle and
packed by the road roller the
county bought for that purpose at
great expense, was not raised at all
but was left as all roads are which
have not been worked for years, with
sag. in the middle. Something
like foot of gravel is being piled
in this sag road. 1t fills up the sag
and will give nice rounded ap-
pearance and the loose observer as
he drives along for the next few
months will remark, what nice
road" But the pretty road is like
the house built on sand-with this
difference; the sand is washed from
under the foundation of the house
and the mud under the foundation of
the road eats up the stone placed
upon it and in the end you have
nothing but mud. Five dollars
worth of grading would have raised
this road higher than $40 worth of
gravel raises it and with this grad
ing done first, as it always should
be, even half the gravel would have
made infinitely a better road. By
following this principle, the first
principle laid down by the national
good roads people, by the reports of
the secretary OF agriculture, by agri
cultural papers and railroads which
at great expense have circulated
literature OH this subject throughout
the middle west, nearly half the
money and labor could have been
saved and permanency secured.
This is but sample of the way road
overseers have been botching things
for years and wasting the peoples
money. AS taxpayer, as citizen
of this county ever since l have been
of age, l protest against this waste
and pray that our honorable com
missioners will see that we have
competent, up-to-date road men
who can give tine people something
to show for their money. We have
had 81 years of road supervision.
We have spent for roads over 81, 0O0,
600, s73, 5l7.61 being spent last year,
and we have not one single continu-
Gus mile of good road in the county
outside of the city OF Greeley.
From the above named tree
north, the work is little better
and will last somewhat longer be-
cause it has a better foundation, is
raised higher above the ground and
has drain ditch alongside. But
the bed was not properly rounded
up and packed. There are holes now
being filled with gravel that will be
filled with water every time there is
a heavy rain and when 5-ton load
hits those wet spots the gravel will
settle and a hole will be left in the
1.fx Iii