Evening journal., 1910-06-07

detour the grade could be very much re-
duced al a slight increase in distance and
with a gain in time. together with the adj
vantage Of being able 20 draw a heavier
load: in others tho road follows the line
Of least resistance. wandering along, in
and out at the foot Of hills, when i'm many
cases a short deep cut would very much
shorten and improve 1t. When our traffic
consisted of light vehicles, which even
when going fast we're easily stopped, OF OF
heavy vehicles going slowly, these sharp
curves were not so detrimental as at the
present. Since the advent of the fast NOV
ing and heavy motor cars, the case is en-
tirely different These vehicles cannot be
brought TO a stop In as short a distance
as the other kind and with their weight
aud speed have a momentum so much
greater that a crash is a very serious mat
ter All these short, sharp curves should
be eliminated. and where the curve can
be taken out entirely a long easy one
should be substituted giving as great a
line of sight as possible.
"The reads in many places are too mar
row, often because The adjacent fences
have gradually encroached on the road
way, although The road was originally laid
out to a proper width. The Levy Court
should have the power to condemn suff-
Client land to make an changes necessary.
for the foregoing defects. Cur present sys-
tenn is too SOW, cumbersome and indirect.
Many months and sometimes years
elspse before anything can be done. only
when road is surveyed and contracted
for do we see these defects, and Il IS inn
possible. or impracticable, TO hold the con-
tractor up until they can be rcmedied 1
would suggest that at the next Legis-
lature some action be taken In this mat
ter. our bridges, too, should be widened
where necessary and no nev bridge buiit
with road way less than is feet on our
side roads. and 20 feet on our main roads
and even OF greater width in some cases.
Much could be said in regard to replacing
an worn out wooden bridges by concrete
scraping tho shoulders and cutters of our
new roads, resurfacing them with a plas-
tic top Of non-wearing surface. etc, but as
these points have already been many
times discussed by your honorable body
I Will not at this time refer further 10
them.
"ln recommending The road tax for
the fiscal year. I beg 10 remind you Of
the very heavy and long continued snow
blockade of the last winter While we were
very unfortunate in this respect, yet il
was well We had tho money at hand, even
though it took much Of our surplus that
We had for use on our roads this spring
Another thought TO be borne in mind is
| that while we have heen paying Off our
Indebtedness, slowly improving the roads
cur standard OF good roads has been very
much raised. Our improved dirt roads are
no longer compared to the state Of the old
ones, but rather to our new stone county
roads. Our people are not now content
with patch here ana patch there. but
ask for and insist that our dirt roads con-
form nearly as possible 20 regular graded
ones. This is as it should be, but. Of
course. necessitates the expenditure Of
/ considerable money I'm the beginning, al
I though later they can be kept I'm much
better repair. and at less cost than form
ery. In view Of this I would recommend
that the rate for this year be continued
the same as last year namely 40 cents on
the 800.
During several months Of last year l
was unable unfortunately, TO give tho
road work my personal attention other
than by telephone or dictation, but owing
TO the interset and help. OF the Levy Court
Commissioners. in each Of their districts,
and the attention OF tho road supervisors
the work went along as usual / beg tc
acknowledge this courtesy and kindness
on the part of both. and the forebearancs
Of the public during my miFfortune."