The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-04-21

very poor ana tnlnly lnnaDlted uls-
tricts, and Joined very rich and popu-
lous districts"
The same conditions exist with us
to-day.
The grievances attracted the notice
OF Parliament and there followed acts
imposing a small toll on travellers and
goods, for purpose Of keeping the
roads in repair, which was followed
by many murmurs, and troops had to
be called out to prevent the people
from pulling down the toll bars.
Reason Triumphed Slowly.
BY slow degrees reason triumphed
over prejudice and the island is now
crossed in every direction by 10000
miles OF turnpike roads, but their laws
and methods are still varied and local
in their application and the funds are
supplied from a system of local taxa
tion. The revenue raised for repair
ing and building roads is over $15,
100000 a year. This is equivalent to
about 40 cents an acre or over
a square mile for all the territory In
England and Wales, which, If levied
in the United States in proportion to
area, excluding Alaska and our new
possessions, would amount to about
$77 100000 annually.
Not wishing to dwell too long on
ancient history or the condition OF
roads in foreign lands | will state that
from all information at hand mot hav-
ing had any inclination to go by sea
/ to see) | am of the opinion that
France leads the world both In com
pleteness of her road system and In
perfection of building and mainte-
nance.
Road System In France.
All over France the roads are divid
ed, according to their Importance, into
the following categories:
/. National Roads.-These are the great
| highways which lead from Paris 10 dlt-
ferent points of the frontier, or which
| iOin the great provincial towns, such as
| Lyons and Bordeaux, or, again, whlch
connect the different fortified towns along
the frontier. At the beginning OF the
| century these highroads were almost the
only ones which were kent In good re-
pair, and for many years they were tht
/
over France. They are still kept In gooo
| order all over the country. This class ol
roads is entirely maintained by the state
and Is under the management OF state
| engineers, whose chief Is the minister oil
| public works.
2. Departmental Roads-These con
meet the different towns of a department
with each other and with the towns o
;he neighboring departments They ar,
not quite so broad as the routes ma
ionales. but are kept In admirable or
der. and bear more traffic than any othei
class OF roads. They are maintained en-
tirely out of the funds of the department
or. as would be said with us. out of thu
county funds.
/, Township OF Local Roads.-rhese are
lesser highways connecting villages an,
furnishing means for local travel anC
transportation. They are built and main
tained by local taxation and labor (eacl
| taxpayer being required to furnish thre'
days work or pay an equivalent In mon
| ey). Special taxes are levied on larg'
} manufacturing industries which. by th'
continual hauling OF very heavy loads
cause abaDrmal wear and tear OF thu
roads.
First Road Built In United States.
The first road built by white mel
in the United States was at James
town, Virginia, and the first law OF
: this subject was passed by the genera
, assembly of Virginia in 1892, and lai'
/ the foundation for that vast complies
about two and three-quarter centuries
retarded and hampered road building
[ in America.
. In the north the so-called New Eng
+ land Path between Boston and Ply
: mouth was begun in 1889. In the pre-
| - 10 %.
T. road building were passed in 1864
: and two years later the first Marylan,
road law came into existence. Penn
9 sylvania follov ed some years later
r 1892, with road act, placing the cor
I troll of the highv ays in the hands O
r the townships, which, however, wa
e amended eight years later, whereof
n the control was given over to tn
= counties. To Pennsylvania is ais
n given credit of the caster turnpike
5 from Lancaster to Philadelphia, whicl
I was constructed in 1874.
b The extent and character OF thes
e early roads may perhaps be judge
4 more clearly from the state OF tn
. postal service. II was not until 1877
= that post service was establishe
J. between New York and Boston, thre
b days being required for the trip; an
1 twenty-five years later, in 1895, letter
a were forwarded only eight times
year from the Potomac to Philade
phia. In 1717 mail from Boston I
!. williamsburg, Virginia, was delivere
}. every four weeks in winter, and a
8 late as 1890 the number of postoffice
4: in the United States numbered onl
x 10.
Thus at the time of the organizs
n tion of our government, highway col
!, struction can scarcely be said to hav
e begun. Systematic organization 70
4 either construction or maintenance
!. did not exist. Each little communit
J, was left to cope with the problem a
a best It could.
9 Felt Need Of Good Roads.
u The first wagons pushed across tn
N Anoohanfao xufthfu t0uo uaa ra flor N