Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1908-04-10
For Good Roads
From U. s Engineers

capable of being utilized in the build
ing of the best macadam roads known
to modern road builders; gravel in
such abundance and of such good
quality as to make possible the build
ing of great systems of frst-class
gravelpBr os; and asphaltic oils not
equaled in any other state in the
Union for the treatment of roads.
California has wealth ample to finance
the building of a system of roads
which would rival that of France.
Her citizens are energetic and pro-
gressive, and lastly, some of the most
influential counties of the state have
enlisted the aid and advice of the
United States Office of public roads
at Washington, bureau which con-
gress has established for the purpose
of giving to the people the best to be
had in highway engineering and to
aid in reforming our Anticipated
methods.
The office of public roads of the
u. s. department of agriculture is
developing its work along conser
vative lines with the purpose of
quietly but none the less effectively
teaching local road builders how to
| build standard roads, substituting
superior for inferior methods, and
solving the problems in road con-
struction which have not yet been
solved.
About one year ago the county
authorities OF Santa Barbara county
applied to the office of public roads
for an engineer to advise with them
and render such assistance as was
practicable in inaugurating a model
road system for that county. A
special corps of engineers has recent
ly been formed to conduct just such
work as this under a project known
as ''the introduction of model sys-
TENS" The engineer assigned to
Santa Barbara county made COM
plete investigation of all of the roads,
road materials. revenues, expendi-
tures, organization, methods of ad-
ministration, construction, and main
tenance, and drew up complete and
exhaustive report providing a plan
for the improvement of the roads of
that county.
Los Angeles county was the next to
receive assistance of this character,
and the federal engineer who made
the investigation tor Santa Barbara
county took up the work at Los
Angeles in July. 1907. So thorough
was the work of this engineer and so
earnest was the highway commission
In its endeavor to provide Los
Angeles with a perfect system of
| highways that they retained the
federal engineer as chief engineer of
the Los Angeles highway commission.
San Diego county has taken up,
through the senators and representa-
tives at Washington, the plan of
having a military road constructed
| from the north line of the U. S.
naval reservation through the reserva-
tion and the military reservation to
the south end of Point Iona and also
the road connecting Herewith rum
| ing from Ft. Rosecrans, and treating
| it with oil in the most approved
manner. Again federal assistance has
| been asked and obtained in determin-
ing upon the most suitable methods
and the probable cost. Whether this
military road will be authorized by
congress or not, the people of San
Diego ale now advised that although
the seat of the national government
is 5000 miles away, It's good offices
may be had when the need justiHes
to direct their efforts along proper
ines, so that no mistake may be made
in materials or methods.
Ventura county is now on record
as an applicant for the details of
federal engineer under the model
system plan.
The model system project is one
requiring high order of ability aud
thorough engineering education and
requires at least a month, and some.
times three months, of the hardest
kind of work by the engineers, and
for this reason the demands from all
parts of the country will soou reach
such volume as to make necessary
their assignment for months and even
a year ahead.
Such was practically the situation
when the cham Der of commerce of