Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-04-10
Tie Waste of Good Money on Bad Roads

Tie Waste of Good Money on Bad Roads.
We called the attention of our
readers last week to the fact that
according to the report OF the United
States government, farmers of Hi
nois We're spending a little over $iI
a mile on their roads, about $40 of
which is wasted. The same is no
doubt true of Iowa, Missouri, and
all the adjoining states. The farm
ers OF the west pay millions in each
state every year for good roads and
yet badsroads are the rule and good
roads the exception.
There is enough money spent. 1t
is folly to levy greater taxes to be
spent with equal folly. The great
problem is how to spend the money
wisely, and when we learn this there
will be no cry for greater taxation,
but reduction of about one-half,
to the great relief of farmers and to
the great improvement OF the roads
We have given time enough in in
vestigating the value Of the road
drag to be absolutely convinced that
after the road is first drained and
graded an expenditure of five dol
lars mile in the use of the drag
will keep the roads of the west in
better condition than any living man
has ever expected to see them or
than nine men out Of ten believe
they can be kept. We simply throw
money away in allowing the roads
to go undrained and ungraded and
wash out and then get men and
teams together, use an expensive
grader, pile up lot of loose dirt,
with old cans and horse shoes, and
empty bottles, and with grass and
weeds galore in the middle of the
road, rendering it something to be
avoided until necessity compels us
to use it. This is simply folly un-
speakable and horrible waste of
good money.
1t is equal folly for us to put in
wooden culverts. The time has
gone by when any culverts should
be made Of wood. 1t is equal folly
to undertake to build stone abutt-
ments for bridges, even though the
stone were quarried and lying on
the ground. These stone founda-
tons for bridges will just as surely
crumble as the years come. This
seemed to US a surprising thing
when we lived in Madison county.
Twenty years ago supervisors ceased
to build stone bridges, but instead
put in pillng in iron tubes. These
will stand for two or three genera
tions. 1t has been perfectly clearly
demonstrated that cement is cheap
cr than the stone quarried and lying
ready to put in. Therefore, if we
are to save our money we must dis
card these bridges with stone foun-
dation, put in cement; discard the
I wooden culverts, using cement in
stead, and then when the road is
once drained by tiling or otherwise,
and graded, use simply the road
drag.
We are satisfied that by following
this policy the state of Illinois could
save three millions out of the four
millions and over that were used on
the roads last year, and have roads
that would be pleasure and COM
fort to travel over nine -tenths of the
year. The same may be said Of
Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota. Wiscon-
sin and eastern Kansas and Nebras.
I ka. There is not much to the road
\ question where the rainfall is less
than twenty inches; but where the
rainfall is from thirty to forty in
ches we must have mud and misery
three or four months Of the year un
less we learn how to use our money
collected in the shape of taxes in
, telligently. The great trouble is t,
: get road supervisors to quit patch
ing up roads OF bridges or culvert
7 and put in permanent culverts ant
bridges, using cement, costly as j
2 may seem at first, but with the con
t fidence that it will stand until thei
grandchildren are ready to vote
$ Having done this, quit patching u
: the roads. Drain the roads if the
!. need draining, and grade them
: they need grading, and then max
: it to the interest of the farmers t
get out after every rain and dra
o the roads, using the cheapest an
X lightest drag that they can possibl
make.-Wallaces' Farmer.