Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-03-13

".
past season. The simple road drag is
| the best means of maintaining the
clayey and black gumbo roads which
| abound in Illinois, and the results ob-
tanned can scarcely be realized until
actually seen.
| There is in Illinois a convict labor
law which provides that the board If
prison industries of the state shall fur
nish the state highway commission
crushed rock for free distribution
among the local road officials under
such rules and regulations as the high
way commission may prescribe.
There are at present three crushers
in operation one at the Joliet peniteQ-
tiary in the northern part of the state.
and two at the southern penitentiary.
The combined capacity of these crush
ers is 1850 cubic yards per eight
| hours
Get Rock at Low Cost.
With low freight rates and free ma
terial it is possible for those commu-
mites which do not have road mater
ials to get the crushed rock from the
penitentiaries at a very low cost and
yet one portion of the state is not
taxed for the benefit of another The
question of large state aid appropri L
ton is met completely with this meth
cd of state cooperation.
! The successful distribution of this
free crushed stone has been made pos
|
by the railroads of the state. The law
IpTovides that the highway commission
shall be empowered to arrange for spe-
cial freight rates. There has now be nn
secured from all the railroads in the
state a rate as low as one-half cent
per ton mile, and from some roads i
rate of three mills per ton mile.
With the aid of the material thus
prepared the commission has been
able to construct experimental stone
roads in sections of the state whe"e
macadam roads had never before been
used or built, at a cost 10 the commits
sion of little more than the expense
of supervision. The commission ais
furnished the rollers and sprinklers
as few communities are at present
provided with these necessities for
proper stone road building. In every
instance these roads have attracted
much attention locally. and have wei
proved the value and Importance G
experimental work in road building.
: Bridges Big Item.
In number of counties GO per cen
of the amount spent for roads an
bridges was for bridges, so this feat
ure of highway work is one of particu
lar importance in Illinois. Only cas-
ual investigation as necessary to es
tablish the fact that a majority of th'
n bridges were about half the requisite
length and cost approximately twic
, what they should. The reason for thi
was lack of skilled supervision. TIL
Il commissioners and supervisors hav
! to eXpend the tax payers money fo
/ bridges about which they know notl
l. ing-nothing about the requisit
> strength. nothing about the propa
; cost To correct these conditions III
t highway commission offers free &,
s charge to the local highway official
utSlSllS, GSllllldltS dlu
for highway bridges of all kinds, an
If the demand for this aid indicates tn
al it will be onesof the most importa.
IS phases of the work of the commissio,
h Already plans and estimates for som
5, fifty bridges are under way.
ID Many Ask Speakers.
: The widespread interest taken in tt
IL work of highway improvement, an
s. particularly in connection with ii
state highway commissions, is show
As by the fact that 67 farmers institute
Ut requested the commission to furnish
is speaker to discuss road improvement
ie In Illinois any plan of highway wol
III which does not appeal to the commt
2i sense of the farmers institute
CT doomed to failure.
IL The work of the Illinois highw;
commission is based on the belief th
much better results can be. obtain
70 without increased taxations that bett
Id methods are necessary for better
D. suits; and that it is essential that {
"a practical advantage of better metho
A. first be demonstrated before consid
IT'S ing the question of increased expen