Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-02

The cost OF State roads duiinr tho
past six years. the paper stated. had
been $1553 per mile and he did nnt
tnlnk ttat the work was any too good
or that its cost had been excessive
The average annual expenditure cr the
smaller towns for roads he estimated at
$2o per mile and regarded it as clearly
apparent that the first thing to be
done i'm order To secure Improvement
was to make every dollar 90 as far as
possible. This could be done, he sug-
gested. by keeping the number of men
down to minimum. hiring extra help
when conditions made ii impera tive
and discharging them as soon as the.,
could be dispensed with.
Another way suggested in the inter-
ests of economy VS. to figure to keep
the expenditures Just a little below the
amount availab and when enough had
been saved TO make improvements In
the worst places. where travel was
greatest. until all the roads were of
standard construction. This system, it
was pointed out. would mean that
every mile of the States highways
would be under the supervision and
care of an experienced and competent
man. Mr. Sargent also regarded it as
of the utmost Importance that all Wort.
should Ee done Systematically. He also
recommended dividing roads up into
sections. the same as the railroads do.
anG when a force of men was not busy
on one section transferring it to an
other, thus keeping the highways con-
stantly IN the hands of men trained to
take care of them.
One advantage of this SYSTEM Mr.
Sargent said. would be that the men
in charge of the sections would take
pride in the nigh efficiency in which
they would he kept and would each
strive to do his utmost to produce and
maintain better road than his neigh
effort and labor would be bestowed on
each section. In addition to this such
a system would tend towards the crea-
ton Of a trained force of road build
ers. who would be constantly learning
the business of road building and thus
eventually secure to the State the adj
vantage of 4 large force of profession
al highway workers. He predicted that
at some future time this would be the
method by which the roads of the
State would be built.
Mr.. Sargent spoke of the efficiency
of the King SPLIT log drag. which, he
said, had been the means Of convert
ing many miles Of wet and muddy
road into good hard dirt road at all
seasons of the year. He said the drag
could be constructed by anyone in three
hours and that under favorable condi
tions it could be operated as low as
50 cents per mile. although the cost
may run to five or six times that
amount. Attention was called to the
fact that several Maine towns have
used the drag with good effect.
the first thirg is to formulate some
definite plan for operating highways
and then give the execution of it over
to some good man as a business, so
that he will be willing TO use whatever
device is shown him for lessening labor
and producing good results in his work.
at seems sometimes" said the paper,
"as though road commissioners were
not looking for labor saving devices.
but for some means of furnishing as
much labor as possible on the roads,"
I'm the final analysis" it continued,
mo one will doubt but that the first
to bring about an improvement in the
highways is to create q public sentl-
ment which will demand highway i'm
provement. Strange as 1t may seem.
experience everywhere has shown that
the only way TO create that sentiment
at large is by first building and MAIN
tanning model sections of road, for the
people to see and use. One section of
good road in any community is the
best possible argument that can be
nut forth for more and it invariably
leads to 4 demand for more of the
same kind
The Darer said that it was we'll
nigh impossible to build these samples
of good roads without state aid, and
that this point seemed 10 have been
given due consideration by the Leg
isIature as well as the other fact that
highway taxes are from three to ten
times as great in the rural towns as
in the cities. 1t also said it was hop
ed that under the stimulus of the new
law a start on permanent work would
be made in every town.
Although on account of the lack OF
machinery standard stone road could
not be freely built in the rural dis
tricts. much other labor which goes
toward the securing of good roads,
could he performed. This work In
cl,,Ges the building of good gravel high
WAYS. drainage and grading. w0rkhills
cut down ard swamps raised and other
work which would go far towards rails
ing to much higher standard the eff
cheney of country roads.
The paper continued: much has al
ready tcen accomplished under our
present state road law. which has been
i'm operation seven years. An increas-
ing number of towns has each year
taker advantage of the law and this
shows Conclusively that the towns are
willing to help themselves when proper
Inducements are offered. In many
towns since the advent of this law
srecial appropriations have been mace
fo,. the express purpose of reconstruct
inc some bad section Of the town roads
ON lines similar to those pursued III
state road work.
In conclusion Mr.. Sargent ascribed
the reason of the high efficiency OF the
roads in France not to any superior
ability or material pOssesse by the
French people. but to the fact that
under the system in vogue in that