The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1909-11-17
GOOD ROADS THE WAY TO PROGRESS

Worlds Works.')
Road building is an art based upor
a science. In this age of specialists
it almost surpasses belief that the
American people, so practical in al
other lines Of endeavor, should per.
nit their golden millions to be frit
tered away by men who for the
most part know little or nothing
about either the science or the art
of road building. There are today
more than one hundred thousand
petty road officials in the United
States, each one receiving compen-
sation. Very few of these men de-
vote more than a fraction of their
time to road work, because their in
terests lie elsewhere and their COM
pensation is too small to- enable them
to devote their entire time to the
work. 1t is not surprising that a
century and quarter of this kind
of supervision has resulted in a cha
otto condition of our public roads.
The reforms that should take place
will provide a comparatively small
body of trained, competent road
builders devoting their entire time
to continuous road work.
Not only must the roads be built
by trained men, but they must be
kept in repair.
1t has been the universal practice
in America to repair the roads at
such times as will interfere least
with individual duties, and this has
crystallized into working the roads
once or twice a year. So hard and
fast has this custom become in many
of the states that. even if costly ma
cadam roads are constructed at
great expense, they are allowed to
go to ruin because minor defects are
permitted to go unrepaired until
they result in practical destruction
of the road.
No more admirable system of
maintenance could be devised than
that which is followed in France.
Every mile of road is inspected
daily, and the slightest defect re-
paired at it's inspection. The main
tenance of way departments of our
great railroad systems do not pro-
vide a more thorough inspection of
railroad tracks than do the French
for their public roads. The changes
which should come in the American
system will mean the adoption of
continuous system of repair and me-
thodical inspection of all roads.
And the road building era has al
ready begun. Already great strides
have been made in recent years to-
ward bringing about these needed
reforms in the road laws and ad-
ministration, in providing more ade-
quate revenues, and in devising
methods of construction and main
tenance adapted to the requirements
of modern traffic.
In 1891, New Jersey adopted what
is generally known as the state-aid
plan by appropriating funds directly
from the treasury in aid of road
building throughout the state.
and by establishing a state highway
department. Other states have fol-
lowed the example of New Jersey
until at the present time every state
east of the Mississippi river and
north of Mason's and Dixon's line
with the exception of Indiana)
and, in addition to these. the states
of Maryland, Virginia, West Vir-
GINA, Georgia. Missouri, Iowa, Min
nesoua, California and Washington
have adopted the principal of state
aid; while the states of Oklahoma,
Kansas, South Dakota and Utah
have taken steps in this direction
Every change that has been made
by the legislatures in the states
granting state-aid has been TOWARD
increases in the state appropriations
and broadening of the scope Of
the state highway departments
Thus we are heading rapidly toward
the Capitalization so necessary tx
the accomplishment Of this grea
work.
In the matter of providing suffi
cient cash revenues and eliminating
the labor tax, great progress is nov
being made and still greater viii