The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-15
FOR BETTER ROADS
EMERGENCY CREW
DEEMED ESSENTIAL
Repair the Little Gully and the
Big One Will Care for
Itself
MORROW CONTRASTS
ROADS OF COUNTIES
Praises TuscnIoosa's Pike-FuIlcnwider
Makes decentralization of
JeffersOn's Roads as Viewed
BY Farmer and Autoist

or emergency repairing should be adopted
to care for temporarily bad roads.
The Board of Revenue has assisted in
the good roads movement The members
have co-operated heartily.
However it has been suggested that if
some practical method could be employed
to repair quickly roads that have be-
come washed many dollars would be
saved and better final result would be
obtained
The suggestion offered yesterday by
farmer, business man and automobilist
was practically this If some spot of the
county highway becomes worn or washed
send instantly to that spot and repair
that special bad place. BY doing so, it is
said serious gulleys would become
thing of the past. and the regular repair
gangs or road builders would have much
more time to spend on new construction
or upon those roads in the mountain
regions which have never been repaired.
BY this method time, money and labor
would be saved.
The sentiment for good roads is as
general now as before the late election
when every politician preached good
roads, better roads and more roads
The citizens believe more farmers would
come to town if the roads were good
tear on equipment From an economic
standpoint" says the merchant, 1.-The
roads should be maintained"
FuIenwider Is Interviewed
In Jefferson county the roads are not
as bad as in many other counties in
this state. However they could be great
ly improved. Notwithstanding the perfect
hurricane of suggestions and appeals the
Board of Revenue has never yet been
criticised for lack of work. The farmer
believes the board has been very liberal
So does the business man.
A. Fulsnwider, who resides above East
Lake and who makes two trips a day
over piece of Jefferson county road,
made this suggestion yesterday:
THE road between the eastern boundary
of the city and Huffman should be
widened and maintained better. If this is
done and done quickly believe no county
in the state could boast of a better pike
than this one.
some damage in various parts of the
county. but not in the section where I
live. The roads out there are constructed
with an eye to permanency and are good.
However If Strengthened and widened the
improvement would do every citizen
good l am deeply in earnest in advo-
eating good roads and do not believe any
situation faces the people calling for
more concerted action than the conserv-
alive betterment of public highways"
Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Contrasted
Hugh Morrow. senator-elect from JEFF
ferson county who lives near Wilson's
spring, said Underwood avenue near East
Lake was in pretty bad shape, but as
a general proposition the roads were
good
Senator Morrow recently travelled TO
Tuscaloosa through the country in his
automobile, and in comparing the roads
of this and Tuscaloosa county said:
Tuscaloosa county has one of the best
pixies from that city to the Jefferson
county line that I have ever travelled
That Is exactly what causes discouraging
opinions in regard to our roads. We
see one county with almost perfect high
ways and then just across an imaginary
line we encounter roads almost impass-
able
From Sumpter to Tuscaloosa county
or more locally, in the Yolanda neigh
borhood, the county roads are bad. We
should pattern after our sister county
Underwood avenue to the city limits
from Eighty-fourth street is almost i'm
passable in rainy weather. The Huffman
road beyond Wilson's spring is very bad
The recent change of the road near Will
son branch on the Huffman pike is very
bad. However. l understand the new road
fis to be placed in good shape
From Farmers Standpoint
E. ]. Salter, a farmer who resides sew
eral miles from Birmingham on the Ok
moor road, said:
Il find the road repairers make one
mistake. They will work on road for
possibly several miles and then jump to
another neighborhood. This leaves, very
often, some bad places in the road worked
upon.
Very often the gullies. at first very
small, are necessarily driven over, until
they become rough. Then it Is when the
ooaiu VI REVENUE SnOulu SeNu u Specldi
repair crew and repair that one particu-
lar spot. BY this method 1 believe serious
gulies would be taken care of. and in
| addition to the good In this line, the
| county would save. small hole is
quickly and easily repaired.
| Such is not the case with large gullies
when 1t takes gang a day or two to
| make the necessary repairs
| THE Columbiana road Is in pretty good
| shape. However the road known as the
Cross and Salter pike which runs to
| Shades creek. thence down the creek sew
eral miles, thence to the Rosedale road
near Onkman, is in bad shape. In fact
| the recent rains have made this road
| practically impossible. The winter season
| Is when the county should watch the
roads carefully. The repair gangs recent
ly worked in our neighborhood. They
| left stretch of road about mile In
length which could have been repaired
at that time and saved the county both
time and money. An emergency crew is
what is needed"
| Automobile Dealers Statement
| Lawrence Smith, local automobile
dealer, who frequently makes cross
country trips believes In the emergency
idea Said Mr.. Smith:
by maintaining what the railroad men
call a maintenance-of-way department
the county could save a lot of time
money and labor In fixing roads There
is nothing like stitch In time. When
| small gulley is reported send at once
to repair 1t and future trouble Is elm
| mated. Carry this out In a systematic
manner and the public highways will be
delight to everyone. speak principal
ly for the farmer. They have the great
est burden to bear when roads are bad