The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-26

road building.
There is in Washington busy
bureau called the office OF Public Roads
OF the United States Department Of
Agriculture, and under the direction of
the Hon. Logan Walter Page IL is do
ing vast amount OF exceedingly inn
portant work in gathering all possible
Information on highway construction
and maintenance, and is placing this
information before those who most
directly interested in Improving con-
ditlons. For some years this Office
has been endeavoring to show in
conclusive manner the intimate re-
lationship which exists between COM
mon sense farming and public roads.
Both producers and consumers are be-
ing appealed 20 for both must bear
the burden OF poor roads, while both
will share the benefit from the good
ones Some amazing results have al
ready been attained in this interesting
task, and some surprising facts have
been assembled.
IL may for instance amaze the cas-
ual reader to learn that better roads
have an immediate effect upon the
public health; but such appears to be
the fact. II may also surprise many
to learn that haro surfaced highways
have an uplifting effect upon the men
tality and the morals of the race, and
in that they make possible more con-
slant attendance at church and
schools 1t Is also worthy of note
that dustless roads add hundreds of
millions of dollars annually to the
values of fruit, truck and flower
farms; and that perfect highways
would make Unnecessary the purchase
OF thousands of wagons which are an
nually smashed On impossible roads.
1t is interesting to learn that dust
less roads have already benefited the
orange growers of California by mill
lions each year, and that universal
system OF such highways would add
not less than 81 $4,000, 600 TO the as.
sessed valuation OF the farm lands,
which in many sections are practically
useless because those who own them
find Il impossible to transport their
products cheaply to selling points.
The relation Of the public roads to
education Is one to which has been
given but the 8lightest consideration
but study recently made by Director
Page and other officials proves that In
the states where muddy roads make
school attendance impractical. the per-
centage of illlterates is far higher than
in states which have wisely attended
to the building and the maintenance
OF those suburban transportation
routes" In four states where the aver
age percentage of improved roads is
3055. the percentage of .native-born
white illiterates is only 0.34 OF 1 per
cent of the total population, while In
four less progressive states in which
only Isl per cent of the road mileage
is improved the percentage OF white
illiterates is 4.76; those findings fur.
nlshing an amazing argument in favor
OF the crushing OF more rock and the
building of more roads.
Bad roads are partly a cause and
partly an effect Of ignorance, but the
two are so closely related that they
may well be called twins, and such
twins have no place in Uncle Sans
large family.
The question has FScently been
asked What is the most important
phase of the work that the office oI
public roads is doing to aid the road
movement"
Some state and county officials say
that the building oil object-lessor
roads is most important; others as
sert that the training up OF corp:
of enthusiastic highway engineers
must ultimately produce the creates
results. Both are important and Sc
closely allied that II is rather difficult
to tell where one leaves off and the
other begins.
The object-lesson on road work Ii
undoubtedly of vast Importance, ant
during the past twelve months 81
such roads had been completed OF
were in course of construction In var
ious sections of the country, eacl
stretch being unGer the watchful ey,
OF one OF the expert engineers of Di
rector Pages little army. Thes,
roads are instrumental in teachlnl
local road builders the art of highway
construction, for the engineers pre-
pare the plans and estimates and su
peryise every detail of the work from
the survey to completion. Among thl
roads which We're laid were 10 of ma
cadam, 6 of sand-clay OF gravel, 3 oi
earth, OF burnt-clay. of shell and
tarred and oiled roads; total o.
22S,2OS square yards of road surface
Since the government began its OBJ
iect-lesson WORK, its engineers hav,
supervised the construction of upwards
of million dollars worth. of high
ways, while improved roads have beer
built along the methods demonstrates
and following out the instructions Civ.
en- have mounted high into the mil
lions. e
In sections of the country where tho
generally accepted road building ma
tprial especlallV rock is searca o,