Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-03-14

w. o. Hotch kiss Tell. Convention Of
Methods Of Roadmakins in His State
"A. N. johnson, Engineer Of Illinois
Highway Commission, Details the
Work in HE State.

vided at thu. pleasure Of the town
board Of supervisors into road districts.
The result n this division has been
to out the towns into such small
units that 1t is almost impossible for
even the best intentioned roadmaster
TODD efficient work. There are town
ships with twenty-five road districts.
each one independent Of its neighbors
a. to the method and time for work.
These are road districts with less than
two miles OF road and as much as
500 per mile OF road tax to spend each
year in keeping up q common dirt road.
Practically all highway taxes are paid
6 in labor. s
with regard to road material, Wis
consin Is better situated than almost
i any other state in the middle west.
The central and northern parts oftthe
state are composed Of the most an
Client rocks, Including GRANTEES, traps,
uuSrtzites and associated rocks. About
this core there IS first a belt of sands
stone and then a bolt of Limestone.
with the exception of the sandstone,
all these rocks make good road mater
y ial
1.-THE glaciers that covered the state
IA recent geological times did great
service to the road builders. They
crushed up the rocks. grinding the
finer parts to powder and leaving the
harder parts as boulders or as gravel
natural macadam material. Several
thousand miles Of roads have been sur
faced with this material which the gla-
ciers distributed 80 generously over
large parts of the state. The manner
Of building has been wasteful and ex-
pensive. In fact 1t could hardly be 9th
erwise with the minute size OF the road
districts and the Anticipated system OF
working out the tax.
FAN attempt was made to find out
how much the road work being done
was actually worth by getting the es-i
Inmates OF various farmers thruout the
state and the resulting average shows
that OF the ,$2,5OO,000 which they pay
for road tax, the people are getting re-
suits Tor only about $1,000, 000--ins 9th
er words are wasting million dollars
! year.
"The main problem in Wisconsin,
therefore, is not to give any great sums
as state aid, but to instruct the people
how to save the great sums they all
ready have and are wasting. This can
be done by building state aid roads, and
make such roads far more valuable
than q mere local Improvement
makes road school out Of every such
road constructed.
ITO carry out this purpose the state
legislature has been asked to appropri-
ate 100000 annually for the next two
years., and the sentiment Of the laW-
makers seems to be that this should
be granted. In addition steps are being
taken to amend the constitution to
permit the state to appropriate money
to aid. building hard surfaced roads.
When this is done wisconsin will join
the ranks Of the state aid common
wealths and continue to uphold her
justly earned reputation as one Of the
best and most progressive states Of the
west
Mr.. Johnson's Address.
Mr. A. N. johnson, state engineer
for the Illinois highway commission,
addressed the conventionl regarding the
work of the commission In lettering
4 the roads. He said in part:
The Illinois highway commission
has been established one year, and,
with an appropriation of but $25 900
per annum, the actual physical ac-
complishment has been necessarily
limited. Three things were necessary:
First, to find out; second, to demon
strate, and third, to convince; and we
are glad to report acconpli shment
along all of these lines.
"a summary of road expenditures
- Al. r-I.<1, AZ.
total cost Of maintaining the 94,141
miles OF public highways, including
both money and labor tax, was $4,625,-
365, of which $4s0,563 is the estimated
value OF the labor tax, leaving saba
500 as the actual cash tax raised. OF
this amount $l,sss.73O was for bridges.
"For the first time in this country
\ systematic census Of road traffic
has been undertaken and an actual
count OF vehicles passing over some
sixty roads in different parts of the
state IS made three or four times
month tfruout the year. The. re-
suit OF this census will show, among
other things, exactly how the condition
Of the road affects its use.
Special attention has been given to
the maintenance OF earth roads by.
road drags A bulletin on drag roads
(25, 900 copies) was received the past
season, and at present there are about
1000 road drags in use in different
parts of the state, most of them made
the past season. The simple road drag
Is the best means Of maintaining the
clayey and black bumbo roads which
abound in Illinois, and the results OBJ
tanned can scarcely DE realized until
actually seen.
aThere is in Illinois a convict labor
law which provides that the board of
prison industries Of the state shall
furnish 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 crush
ers in operation. one at the Joliet
penitentiary in the northern part of
the state, and two at the southern
penitentiary. The combined capacity
OF these crushers is 1850 cubic yards
per eight hours.
with low freight rates and free ma
ferial 1t is possible for those cons
munities which do not have road MAJ