The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1909-02-11

caused by food or otherwise.
3. The county the unit, doug away
with districts and road bosses.
l.. A county engineer who should
be a road expert to have supervision
of all road work under the county
commissioners.
s.. A survey and profile to be made
by him Of the highways all roads to
be named and bridges to be num-
bered.
6. First the construction and i'm
provement of roads into each of the
market places of the county, then con-
Meeting the towns and later the con.
struction Of laterals.
Z. Special taxation of land abutting
on a highway for building road there
OF when voted by two-thirds of the
land owners.
Meritorious as was this bill I be-
lieve there should he added to ii the
state aid feature. | believe now as |
believed then that ali the property in
the state should be taxed for improve
ments of such public character as
roads. In fact, / believe the cost of
improving and maintaining u high
ways should be borne by three par
ties in nearly equal proportion. the
United States, the state, the county.
The United States uses our high
wGys for mail delivery. The constitu.
ton grants it authority to build post
roads. Government experts say that
good roads would a v 81 ,000, 900 per
year on rural route contracts.
Roads are public property, and l
think it equity and good business to
tax all property in the state to help
build and maintain them.
The unbroken record in twenty
states that have adopted state aid is
that the law has been bitterly OPP
posed until understood and then has
become uniformly popular. People
naturally object to heavy road taxes
when results are so unsatisfactory.
I'VE get tired of pouring water into
a rat hole unless we get the rat"
By state aid W. mean that the state
pay one-third or one-half or some 9TH
er part of the cost Of a goood road
when the local authorities decide to
build.
| am here to say that we can have
as good roads in South Dakota at one
fourth tie cos in any of the above
mentioned states. Furthermore, we
are financially better able to stand the
eXrense.
Events come rapidly now days, and
with public sentiment Crystalizlng on
state end national aid for our high
ways the outlook is most promising
Now for a word or two about the
construction of roads:
In order 10 demonstrate what could
be done with an elevating grader on
country roads, | last year bought a
Stroud Little Giant grader and hitch
ed 1t to a % hoIse power 6a-oi.ne
traction engine. This was reasonably
successful. With ii we made about
three miles of splendid grade. Pay
ment for all help and $40 per day for
engine, with gasoline 1t 16 cents per
gallon 1t cost three to three and ore.
half GENTS per yard to move the dirt.
The engine was the second of its
kind TO be made, and | was not salts.
ned with the power. | wanted to see
the dirt move faster and cheaper, so
hired a SO horse power steam trac-
ton engine with fuel and attendants
at $50 per day. / furnished a man
TO run the grader or managed IL N.Y.
self. In ordinary ground free from
StnnpS and MT ton Ior,r o-a A.
plow in 8 to IL inches, thus moving
a yard of dirt every 30 feet. Not tax
ing this estimate but the grade when
finished, accurately measured, we
found that the dirt was moved a dis
lance of 20 feet TO an ever grade Is
to 20 feet wide at an expense of 2 1-2
to 33-4 cents per yard.
Physical conditions and average
education are such that we will never
approach success in road building UNI
der our existing system. We have all
diagnosed the disease and agree that
the case is desperate. None but spe-
cialists are competent to prescribe
remedies. We must cut loose from
the old traditions and let advanced
surgery have a free hand.
! am thoroughly Of the belief that
an entire change Of system of super.
vision is advisable.
Should no speedy relief come from
the law-making bodies what can Won
and I-private citizensdo to improve
our highways, Briefly:
Use nothing but wide tire wagons
ourselves n discourage the sale OF
any other.
Remove all stones from the road
adjacent to your land.
When I say remove I don't mean
roll to one side; for mex year the
road may not be In the old track but
On the side. When dug, haul them
out Of the sixty-six feet of highway or
pile them around the telephone pole.
II you know more about road work
than the boss, and it's ten to one Won
do, ask him to let you repair or build
a certain piece Of road which you use
most for your road tax-he to give
you receipt when he is satisfied Won
have earned it. II when you have
worked out your So or $12 or $50 tax.
the job is not finished-fnish 1t II IT