Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-02-05
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For Better Dirt Roads.


our roads will have nothing more than
an earth surface.
1t has been clearly demonstrated to
all of us that a little intelligent work,
followed up, will make our dirt roads
as good almost as we could ask-cer-
tainly as good as requirements Justify.
With land worth 5000 per acre, more
or less, interurban electric roads, tele-
phones and rural mail deliveries, we
are certainly to blame and unappre-
ciative Of these advantages If we don't
try to devote more attention and very
little, If any, more expense toward sys-
tematic care Of roads:
Under our present laws we divide
each township into three subdistricts
and elect a highway commissioner
from each district. AS a general prac-
tice these three, representing the town
ship, meet and allot the road funds
then each goes his way and looks after
his district roads on per diem basis
Each commissioner is quite apt to have
very different road ideas, with the re-
suit that one district may have pretty
good work done, but as a whole most
of the work done Is not worth brga-
ging on; it is by work done at odd
times.
There are 1899 commissioners in the
State and 81, 141 miles Of public roads,
making an average Of 1917 miles of
road to a commissioner. But this is
not the worst Of it, for we have the
miserable optional cash or labor sys-
TEN, so you find in this still larger
chance for every sample of road under
heaven, where each man tries his hand
at working his taxes out, and the road
how 1t suffersI The old story Of too
many cooks.
When some of you went into the
army you found you couldn't fight the
enemy each fellow for himself, as you
felt like, but you organized and worked
as one man, under one captain, to ac-
complish one thing, and you did 1t
you made a good road all the way from
Atlanta to the sea, but you wouldn't
have been here now If you fought after
the fashion we work our roads to-day.
1t seems to me we ought to quit the
working out of taxes on the roads; we
only beat ourselves in the end and
have to drive on these roads after we
have torn them up. l haven't made up
my own mind on the subject, but
want you to think Of this suggestion
we have twenty-eight townships and
1,
ty, and their average per diem pay
probably amounts to more than $4,000
per year. For such a sum we could
employ a number Of expert engineers
and Several assistants to devote their
entire experienced time to the work,
doing it In the most modern and sys-
tematic manner
Pay a man a good, fair price for his
entire time and you fix the response
bility and get results, for few Of US
do our volunteer or occasional work
or duty well. Think this over.
Champaign County has 10OS square
miles, with 1880 miles Of public roads,
property was $15,154,379 for 1905.
The equalized assessment of taxable
practically all dirt.
The cash expenditure for roads and
bridges was 500, $33155 of this be
Ing for bridges and $56,959 for road
construction and repairs. An addi-
tional $6,O07 in labov tax was expend-
ed, or a total Of 500, 121 for bridges and
road work, an average of $53 per mile
Of road. Now it looks as if we were
spending about enough money, or,
rather, it looks as if we hadn't a great
deal to show for what we have spent
At the rate we are thing and building
steel and concrete bridges we ought to
have a great deal Of that expense
stopped soon and then plenty of money
for road work if we will use it wisely
that's the rub. Now, under the Dun
lap bill, which became a law July /,
| the commissioners are to contract for
dragging the roads, with preference to
the abutting farmer, but even then it
should be done under experienced SUI
pervision.
The State Commission reports that of
the 1900 rural letter carriers in the
State 1910 have reported, covering
| $500 miles of road or about one-third
Of the total State mileage; 5000 miles,
or IL per cent, Is reported as dragged
by 1900 drags. They estimate, there
fore. that 1000 drags were put in use
last season. The effect of the drags
was reported to be very good In every
instance. But-and here is the point
it was reported that SO per cent of
the dragging, etc, was done during the
! dry season, exactly the wrong time to
do this sort Of work. The commission
| has tried to get the amount of travel
! data that is interesting, the idea being
that the amount of money spent on a
particular road should be in proper
ton to it's use. For instance, the first
two or three miles near the various
| towns or cities should have four or
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