Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1909-10-12
GOOD ROADS.
That is What Senator Browne OF Wau-
paca Advocated in an Address
Friday Evening.

The Mems club Of the UnlyerSaliSl
church was entertained Friday even
ing by State Senator e. E. Browne OF
Waupaca, who gave an interesting ad
dress on Good Roads," The early
part of the evening was spent by
those present in getting away with
chicken pie supper. HI. HI. Manson
president of the club, stated that Mr.
Brownies train was late and that Rev
FIR. w. E. Johnson had consented tC
speak, until the arrival of Mr.. Browne,
upon the topic of the "single tax
plan. In the limited time in which
Rev. Johnson spoke, his remarks were
so interesting that he was asked tc
give the club an evenings talk on the
same subject at some time in the
future, and he has agreed to do so.
At the outset of his address, Mr.
Browne spoke of the importance OF
good roads in developing section
We will state here that the legislature
in 1905 passed a resolution to amend
the constitution so that the state
could aid in the building of county
roads, as other progressive states in
the union are doing. This resolution
had to be taken up by the legislature
of 1907, and voted on by the people in
1908. To acquaint the people with
the situation was one of the most i'm
portant things and so the Good Roads
association was organized, with Mr..
Browne as one of its members. Meet
ings were held at the state fair in
Milwaukee in 1907-08 which were at
tended by several thousand farmers
from all over the state. Resolutions
were passed urging the adoption of
the amendment, and the result was
that it was carried at the election.
The highway division of the Wis
consin geological and natural history
survey has spent great deal of time
in making Investigations, SO that a
law can be drawn up that will result
in the most practical good. Briefly
stated, the three things that are
most fundamental for the successful
working of the state aid in Wiscon-
ir are an equitable plan for distribu-
tion; putting the money into the
hands Of expert men; providing a
form of commission SO that the work
can be carried on without regard to
political considerations.
The plan of distribution advocated
is for the legislature to appropriate a
sum of money, to be put into the
good roads fuad. Then a town, to
get state aid, must make an appropri-
alton equal to the amount to be asked
and the county must likewise appro-
pirate the same amount, so that the
town, county and state bear an equal
share in the building of roads. From
a study of the results in other states
it is believed that the most equitable
way of distribution is an apportion-
ment ON the basis of one-third of the
total valuation of real estate in
county, one-third on the basis of area
and one-third on the basis of
equal distribution among all the
counties. The valuation of real
estate in this county is S32, ,456, ,6l4,
4he area amounts to 1852 square
miles. Thus the county would be
entitled to 1,976.66 on every $1OO,OOo
of land valuation. Marathon county
is credited with having LILO miles of
highway.
Mr.. Browne devoted some time to
convict labor on roads. a number of
southern states have employed con-
victs with very good success, but al
most every highway commissioner
who has examined into the practical
operation of the system in the South
is of the opinion that it is not adapta
BILE to northern conditions. Southern
prisons are filled up largely with
negroes serving time for petty offenses.
No northern state, in which the con-
victS are mostly white men, has ever
attempted to use its prison labor on
road building to any large extent.
He does not believe the system would
work in this state.
Mr.. Brownies address was full of
information, and we believe will re-
suit in awakening interest in the sub
ject of good road building in this
section.