St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-02-06
outlines Practical Plan by Which State Nay
Aid Communities to obtain Them.
ANOTHER PLEDGE REDEEMED
The Governor Promised In His Speeches and
Platform During Campaign that BE Would
AID In Good Road System.

days ago, redeemed another pledge
Of his campaign, by which he prom
ised 10 aid in the establishment of a
good roads system in the state, by
outlining a plan by which the state
can help all progressive communities
desiring to obtain the advantages Of
good roads.
The governors plan, which is emf
saentIy practical, contemplates the
& of state convict labor in the con-
~truotion Of such roads.
The Baton Rouge State-Times tells
: Of the governors plan in the follow
ing:
What it's projectors hope is the be-
ginning of systematic cooperation
between the commonwealth and the
various parishes to arouse interest in
q statewide movement for good
roads has been inaugurated by Gov.
Sanders, assisted by President W. w.
Heard Of the state board Of control,
and by the chief Of the Louisiana
board Of state engineers.
Gov. Sanders has always bbeeeeHH 9
good roads enthusiast and his home
parish of st. Mary, where he has
long been an influential citizen, pos
sesses today perhaps the best roads
to be found in the a~lluvial regions of
Louisiana, if not in the entire state.
The idea is to get practical OBJ
ject lessons in good road making put
before the people Of the state" said
the governor in discussing the move
ment. IF this is done, the adyan-
tages to be derived from good roads
will soon be learned-and it will be
seen that good roads once gained,
save the people all and more than
that which they now spend attempt
ing to keep up bad roads"
The plan is this: To get various
parishes, or groups of parishes, act
ing together, to confer with the state
authorities. II the parishes agree to
furnish the incidental expenses, the
state will place at their disposal the
services Of the members of the state
board of engineers, who will render
estimates on any given bit Of road.
The state will then undertake to fur
nish, during the season of the year
when the cane and sugar crops on
the p~enitentiary farms are laid by,
convict labor in sufficient quantity
to complete whatever stretches of
good road that have been planned
for. The parishes are expected, under
this plan, to buy the material and tc
pay the incidental expense.
The convict labor is not to be
used in patching up old roads, or in
taking from the shoulders of any
parish any part Of its proper burden.
1t is model good roads" that Gov.
Sanders wants to see constructed in
various parts of the state.
II have been in correspondence
with the Federal authorities in Wash.
ington," said the governor, and ex-
perts viii be furnished us to give all
the advice and assistance that can be
wanted. The state board of engi-
neers will prepare the estimates
telling the parishes what it will cost
them, with the state furnishing the
labor, to construct the roads, mile by
mile.
There isn't a parish in Louisiana
that couldn't reap benefit from that.
Up in East Felieiana. under the
supervision Of an expert from Wash
ington, a model good road is being
constructed from Jackson to Nc
Manus. The labor being used is that
furnished BY the jackson insane
asylum. The road, when completed
viii be without a superior in Louis
lana.
Another good road will be built,
and plans therefor are already being
prepared, between Pineyille and Che
National Guard camp grounds. Con
Wet labor viii be used there.