The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-04-08
DISCUSSED GOOD ROADS
The Initial Meeting Saturday After
neon started the Good Roads
Project to be Followed Up.

Project to be Followed Up.
The good roads meeting called for
Saturday afternoon did not draw as
large a crowd as was anticipated bat
considerable interest was shown
which will probably result in better
things along this lrne in the future.
Commissioner Ness called the
meeting to order and after outlining
its purpose discussed the King road
drag which he thought would render
passable many of the roads sur
rounding Mitchell. AS showed by
his report something is necessary to
remedy present conditions which al
lows one-third of the trade surround
ing country OF Mitchell to be cut
off during two months of the year.
Mr.. Ness said he did not understand
had tolerated present conditions so
long. He believed that the first step
should be taken by the city and that
Immediately. AS the initial move
ment he suggested first building up
the approaches to the bridges sur
rounding Mitchell.
j. NJ. Erion discussed the move
ment at some length. He thought
that it was a step In the right di-
rection as the present system Of road
taxation was entirely inadequate 10
cope with the present conditions.
When the time comes that taxes viii
all be paid and the work done by
contract we may look for a real bet
terment in our thoroughfares
throughout the state. Mr.. Erion be-
Iieved that under some conditions
the farmers were in a position to
care for the country roads properly
ii they had the equipment.
The question was further discuss
ed by Robert Burns. who said that
the city and the country should each
have sufficient pride in the matter
to care for their roads. In town
the officials take care of the streets
and In the rural communities the
residents should be educated to the
point where they would look after
their own interests sufficiently to
have a thoroughfare on which they
could haul their products to market
al all times of the year. He did not
think that half enough money was
raised to take care of the roads and
that when the tax was worked out
1t was not always done Conscientious
ly. zoo many times the working out
of taxes is a neighborhood picnic.
Mr.. Burns thought If the matter was
presented to the farmers in the right
lignt they would realize the import
ance of the question to themselves,
in the increased value of their land
.and the convenience Of always being
able 10 get to a market. AS a remedy
for the good roads question he ad-
yocated making ~ood roads apostles
of all persons now interested and
use them to educate the others.
Several others spoke and the gen.
eral consensus of opinion was that
If the grades of the roads were once
made high enough there would be
sufficient interest shown by the farm
sers to keep them in good condition.
The burden for doing this rests upon
N-fhn "a Ny n, j,,~ N NTH, ,rl,~4 :, \ rs A1.-..
c get from the business men. There
were two things brought out in the
uiscNssiaN taat We're decidedly pa
tent, unGe. conditions as they are
at present: Mitchell is losing business
and the farmers are not realizing
the possible value or their lands. The
meeting finally adjourned without
definite action being taken. 1t is
probable that another meeting will
be called soon.
At the close of the meeting several
Cf. the farmers remained and discus
sed various points as to the road
building system that is nov in vogue
and they all agreed that much better
work could be done il the road tax
entirely were paid in cash to the
county treasurer. Under the present
system they referred to the manner
in which the railroad corporations
Of the state paid their road tax, which
was by subletting the same to some
individuals at IS cents on the dollar
and then this being sublet at ven
a smaller amount. BY this method
the county is very much the loser,
and the same effective work cannot
be accomplished. These gentlemen
were free to say hat when a road
overseer went out on the highway to
work out the road tax with his neigh
bors SO much work could not be &C
complished for the eason that the
overseer would not insist on making
his neighbors work every moment of