Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-02-20

puVAS hO~N" Wa~N - ~ff--F
S75,OOOa year is engaged in purely
educational and investigative work.
The second class Of French roads
namely, the department roads cores
ponds to state roads in those states Of
the American Union which have roads
built by the stats. The third class
consisting Of township roads may De
compared to our own county and
township roads. The ROAD and bridge
service Of France is strong and ei-
fective organization, responsible men
ere employed in it, thoroughly train
ed, and the work Subjected to close
inspection by the government engin-
GERS. No part the Of road system is
neglected. The routes are divided
into sections of half mile to three
miles 10 length according to the i'm
portahce OF the road, each Of which 10
confided to man or a number Of men,
SO that every foot Of roadway is in
spected daily and kept in thorough
repair.
I 1t is we'll known that the system Of
raising revenues for the Federal Gov
eminent is such as to make possible
the raising OF an enormous sum annu-
ally without imposing an unpopular
burden upon the shoulders of the peo-
pie. We could not, OF course, have q
great system of national roads built
and maintained by the national gov
eminent, but we could have great
system Of national roads paid for par
italy by the national government
particularly by the state and partially
by the counties and townships. The
national government could afford to
maintain crops Of the best engineers
in the world who would see to 1t that
: the governments money was being
expended to the best possible advant-
( age. Each state should have a high
} way department in charge OF .
thoroughly competent engineer, who
would by, and with the advice OF a
r United States consulting engineer,
MAKE all surveys lans, specifications
and estimates and superintend the
I. building Of this great system OF i'm
t proved roads. The local autonomy
: could be preserved by having the as
0 sistant state engineers selected as fal
Q as possible from the local men avail
8 able and stationed permanently with
/ in the respective counties, their salar-
: les to be paid from county funds.
Q Thus the assistant engineers linked
r to the townships by sentiment and BY
= necessity, would follow such course as
9 would be to the best possible interest
: Of their respective..counties. At th'
g same time being subordinates OF
: state highway engineer, they would
' necessarily conform to the wise regu
: lations prepared by this central au'
. thority and every foot Of roadway i'm
proved in each county would be thu
IS result Of plan and method, and be on
i more link in the great system Of inter
J. county and interstate highways.
# Instead Of incompetent overseerf
. we would have assistant engineers an'
= expert former and every mile Of roa'
# would receive the attention it require
II Just as the French roads, and just q
n the railroads are inspected and main
e tanned by engineers and track foremeu
It l do not pretend that have ~Orks'
4 out the problem in all its details. %
te | would view with suspicion any Gu
and dried plan, however plausible
At nnless II carried with it the eyidspc
Is that every possible source q inicrn'
ID ton had been searched and anaiyze
Of and every feature Of the plan sublec
I'd ed to the most searching conPdrisO
is and the most thorough consideration
,e l am in favor Of commission to
Of authorized by Congress to make sue
e. thorough investigation and to recon
&c mend such road system as to the
ar would appear to best solve all Of OF
So road problems. In the meantime
IS. urge every state to adopt some pl'
IN whereby the state will pay a pOrtif
,st Of the cost Of roads and require tn
'or they be built under state suPervisio'
is abOlishing statute labor, ProVidir
IL clear-cut and simple means for sal
Of guarding the public funds.
The improved roads should not
In left in a bare, desolate conditio