The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1908-11-12
TO GET GOOD ROADS.

The Tribune is glad TO see the con-
tinued efforts of the friends of Utah
! for good roads in this State. The
! Automobile club is the active agency
Ill this movement at present, but IT is
movement primarily for the benefit
| of the whole community, both city
and country, and ia by no means con-
| fined to the interests of that club, Tho
farmers will be especially benefited by
good roads, because these will save wear
and tear of their wagons, tho strain
! of their horses, and will enable them
to haul bigger loads to and from their
farms, Tho Importance of good roads
as an aid to civilization has been rec.
ognized from the earliest times, and
in communities such as exist in this
State, the Importance OF good roads
cannot be too much urged
We have here special facilities for
making good roads, So far as the val
ley roads arc concerned, the grades are
practically prepared by nature, and all
necessary material for the best of
roads is convenient and cheap. There
is plenty OF expert ability to be had
now for road building, and, as we I'M
derstand it, trained man of practical
knowledge in this matter will be sup
piled by the q. s. Department of Ag-
riculture TO add impetus TO the move.
ment and TO supervise practical work
therein, whenever needed, The can
yon roads present more difficulty, but
these are much fewer and the commu
mites in general are well able TO do
whatever is necessary TO make good
roads IN the public thoroughfares of
the canyons, as well as in the valleys
where the roads are necessarily much
more numerous and of far greater
mileage.
One of the first things to be done,
in our Judgment, is to bring pressure
to bear upon the County Commission
ers to expend the public moneys in per
manent road-making in place of fritter-
ing these moneys away in mere tenn
porary jobs here and there, the work
upon which has to be repeated year
after year. II we could have. TO be-
gin with, perfect road, extending the
macadamizcd highway which is now laid
from here TO Murray to the south end
of the county. that would be pretty fair
for starter. Next, a good road to
Ogden. Then we should say, a good,
direct road to Bingham. one to Big
Cottonwood, and one to Garfield would
come next. Perhaps the one to Gar
field should be before some others. But
with these as a starter, Salt Lake
county could add year by year such
mileage as presently would give to us
n perfect system Of wellm roads
throughout all the public thoroughfares
Of the county. II this idea. had been p 1T
into force when Tho Tribune first sug-
gested II, we would havo had good
macadamized roads on all the main pub
lie tboroughfarcs in this county before
now. Our idea was then, and is now.
that the poll tax which is worked out
by individuals, properly applied, would
be sufficient for all the moro tcmpora v
repairs, applying the money expeudi
turcs on permanent road work aud per.
manent bridges, putting in DO tempo
rary or wooden bridges anywhere.
We notice a suggestion TO use CON
vict labor upon the roads. The desir.
ability of this may be argued, but there
is, as we understand, 4 very serious
question as to the lawfulness of the use
of cenvicts for any such work. And
wo are not sure that much would be
saved even if convict labor were ap-
Piled. Such labor Is usually ineffi
cicni, both AS to energy of work and
as 10 quality done. And then. there
would have to be a good deal of guard
ing and supervising, which would sub
tract very materially from the profit.
At present, saying nothing about the
lawfulness OF convict labor for this
work, our Judgment is that there is
plenty OF available labor 10 be had
without calling for convicts to do it.
We trust, however, that the move
ment Will receive accessions in force
and volume from now on until the
Legislature gives us such legislation as
those in charge of the good roads
movement may consider necessary. We
would advise, in this connection, that
as few measures as possible be intro
duced, that the legislation, if possible,
be all comprised in one well-digested
enactment. We believe that by so do
ing the legislation Will be more har-
monious, more definite aud satisfactory,
than il would he if scattered among a
number of different bills. However,
the main thing is to get on in good.
practical form, and whatever measure
or measures may be decided upon by
those pushing this good roads senti
ment, should receive the active and
cordial support of the whole commu-
nifty, city and country alike, through
out the State.
IN CRIMINAL BUSINESS.