Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1907-05-31
A WASTE OF MONEY.
Methods in the Use OF
Roads Funds Prove Almost
Total Loss.

The farmers of the west pay miE
lions in each state every year for good
road and yet bad roads 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, ana
| when we learn this there will be nc
| cry for greater taxation, but reduc'
| tion of about one-half, TO the greai
relief of farmers and to the great i'm
provement of the roads. we nave
given time enough in investigating |
the value of the road drag to be ao
solutely convinced that after the roao
is first drained and graded an ex
penditure of five dollars mile IL
the use of the drag will keep the
roads of the west in better condition
than any living man has ever expect
ed to sec them or than nine men oul
of ten believe they can be kept. we
simply throw money away in allow
ing the roads to go undrained and un
graded and wash out and then get
men and teams together, use an ex
pensive 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 1t something to
: be avoided until necessity compeis
= us to use it. This is simply folly I'M
. speakable and a horrible waste OF
D good money.
It is equal folly, Wallace's Farmer
goes on to protest for us to put II
wooden culverts. The time has gone
by when any culverts should be MADE
of wood. 1t is equal folly to under
take to build stone abutments 10
bridges, even though the stone Wer
uuarried and lying on the grouno
These stone foundations for bridge
u will Just as surely crumble as Tn
~ years come. Twenty years ago supe
ne visors ceased to build stone bridges
w but instead put in piling in iro
en- tubes. These will stand for two
I'm three generations. 1t has been pc
Se- fectly clearly demonstrated that
10 ment is cheaper than the stone qua
Ier ried and lying ready to put In Ther
lst fore. If we are to save our money v
must discard these bridges with stol
W foundation, put in cement; dlsca
" all the wooden culverts, using GENE
ION instead, and then when the road
once drained by thing or otherwis
inc and graded, use simply the road ORA
Ihe We are satisfied that by follows
70 this policy the state of Illinois COZ
per- save S3,O00,000 out of the $4,OOO,U
aa and over that were used on the roa
ni"l last year, and have roads that wot
ues be pleasure and comfort to tra'
nay over nine-tenths of the year. I
ape same may be said of Iowa, Nilsson
,seu Minnesota, Wisconsin and caste
Inc Kansas and Nebraska. There is
tne much to the road question where
sun rainfall is less than 20 inches;
neu where the rainfall is from 30 to
% !" inches we must have mud and mis-
arse three or four months of the year
very less we learn how to use our moi
an collected in the shape of taxes
heo, telligently. The great trouble is
anu get road supervisors to quit patch
'no I'D roads or bridges or culverts
l 10 nut In permanent culverts
than bridges. using cement, costly as
onf may seem at first, but with the
= " fidence that it will stand until Il
luz luz. grandchildren are ready to vote. I
se"n ing done this, quit patching up
le d. roads. Drain the roads If they n
loer' grading. and then make 1t to the
terest of the farmers to get out a
n. every rain and drag the roads, Vi
the cheapest and lightest drag
.ntIst they can possibly make.