The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-21
TUTW|LER APPROVES
 RAMSAY ROAD PLAN
Some Practical Words From
 Vermont Read Builder
VALUE OF ONE-MAN PLAN
One Man Given Six Miles of Highway Wrought Wonders On 1t In Few Weeks Time-Plan
 lndorsed By Farmers.

That the suggestion of Erskne Ramsa, Is a practical one is warmly urged b, Maj. E. M. Tutwiler, and is further car red out by an extract from a letter com piled by the United States department or agriculture, showing how we'll. practi- cally, the same system of road maintenance worked on smaller seade t comes rom a county commissioner of a Vermont county.
 Major Tutwler said. As civil engin- ger, knowing good deal about rail. road surveying, I cannot see why the rall- road principles of keeping up the roadbed should not be practical as well on county roads. l think the system suggested by MT Ramsay is excellent. The present method is entirely too expensive. Let the roads be supervised by single per son. We need people who do the work instead of superintendents who ride over the county and do nothing.
 lndorsed By Farmers.
 "rhe plan suggested in Saturday Age-Herald by Erslxine Ramsay for the maintenance of the public roads is a good one,' said J. H. Leath, county secretary treasurer of the Farmers union, "and if adopted will receive the hearty approval of the farmers generally. In every beat or upon every section of road there are farmers who have practical knowledge of road building and repairing, who would bid for the work and as the farmer is the most direct beneficiary of a good road and tha hoo reasonable to suppose that he would everything possible to keep his section of road in first class condition.
 "Then. too, the contractor living on or near his section of road would be prompt ly notified of any breaks or washouts and would attend to it at once, thereby saving many dollars that would be lost if neglected for some time. This plan Is the most practical and will work
 Some Practical Experience.
 The extract from the government rec ords by James o. Sanford of the Vermont board of agriculture follows:
 Being interested in the subject of good roads and studying the matter from a practical standpoint I became convinced that prevailing methods were very extrav- agant and intellectual to accomplish the best results in furnishing to the public satisfactory roads. The system requiring a pathmaster or surveyor in each neigh borhood to warn out the inhabitants once a year at convenient season and go over the roads of the town to repair tho damages caused by neglecting them al the rest of the year is not we'll adapted to this business-lil1e age.
 The ordinary country roads do not wear out they wash out and freeze out. Water is the great road-destroying element. This should be recognized in the maintenance of roads as well as in their construction The action of water and mud, which is water and road material mixed upon the road surface, is the chief cause of poor and unsatisfactory roads. The damage caused by water on the road surface can be prevented by maintaining at intervals properly constructed water bars or mounds. more or less elevated, accord ing to the incline or slope of the surface, with water courses always kept open to carry the water where it will do no dam- age.
 Muddy roads are prevented by eXclud- ing the water. Wherever water stands upon the road or in pools beside the road during the fall months there we have the troublesome mud. The roadbed be- ing perfectly saturated the process of freezing separates each particle of ma terial from every other particle. The thawing process gives the mud. All this can be prevented by getting rid of the water.
 Ordinarily the chief work done by coun- try people on highways is repairing the damage consequent upon neglect. Why this neglect? Simply because the people are trying to follow old obsolete methods. poorly adapted to these times of intense business energy and economy
 Lesson From Railroads.
 Much may be learned from the methods employed in maintaining the railroads. The means adopted to keep up our high ways would be considered extravagant for them. The principle of economy forces them to a better system-one of constant and continuous work of repairing.
 In the springeof 1894, with the purpose of adopting better methods for road man agement, I asked the people of my town for the office of road commissioner, and being elected to that office I proceeded to institute a system of continuous in- spection and repairs. Beng familar with all the roads of the town and the uses to which they are put, l divided them in- to sections and made choice of the men who should have charge of and keep each section My next task was to see other men and endeavor to enthuse each with some spirit of improvement. They were reminded that the value of their farms de- pended upon the condition of the road. They were assured that the roads were to be improved, and urged to use their best endeavors in inaugurating reform in our methods of road management.
 Each man was furnished with a good new shovel and pass book in which to charge for each and every hour he spent upon the road. He was instructed to so over his section as soon as the ground was bare of snow or as soon as the water began to flow, to see to it that the water was kept off the road; to go over the road every day if necessary while the snow was going and during the rainy season, for 1t is then that the most damage is done, and that when so passing over the road he should remedy all slight defects, where a few shovelsful of earth or gravel would prevent a bad mud hole later on. These men were told that the old way of working the road once a year had been abolished. and that it was expected that A few hours work each week. when 1t