The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-07-06
SPLIT LOG DRAG GOOD
Lancaster, Pa, Auto Club Shows What
Can Be Done in improving
Roads.

An illustration Of the good work to
be done by the split log drag is taken
from what has been accomplished by
the Lancaster Automobile club in Penn
sylvania.
Believing that bird in the hand is
worth two in the bush, the members Of
the club one year ago began a system
attic campaign for road improvement
among the individual farmers and road
supervisors of the forty townships Of
Lancaster county The clubs object
was to get better roads, over which
everybody could drive and to get the
Individual farmer started as a concrete
hustling, aggressive, good roads worker.
The club has pursued this policy on the,
basis that one live farmer working out
on the road for highway Improvement
will stimulate a score Of his neighbors
into some actual work themselves upon
the road. The club brought twenty split
log drags; in addition to this, enthusl-
asts of the club purchased as individ-
uals upwards Of a dozen drags. Each
drag was put in the hands Of farmer
who took an interest in the road Ques-
| ton. The idea was that IL Lancaster
county could not have strictly first
class macadam roads in the present
day, according to the high standard Of
the state highway department speci-
| fications, II could at least have good
roads, passable roads and roads which
would drain water from the middle
into the side cutters. The club ap-
pointed a publicity bureau to dis
seminate information and instruction
regarding the improvement Of country
earth roads by means of the split log
published in Lancaster county gave
generous use of their columns and an
active support editoriaIly on the split
log road drag and the missionary effort
of the autoists to help the farmer.
Gradually the haId-beaten prejudica
against the Automobiles in the minds
Of hundreds Of farmers gave way to
kinder sentiments, and at the end Of
one year the Lancaster Automobile
club has a hundred strong farmer
friends Of the split log drag and Of
| better roads, whereas one year ago,
sullenness, apathy and ignorance pre-
vailed. Lancaster county now has 500
farmers out upon its earth roadways
with a split log drag after every rain
where one year ago there were none.
This campaign has cost the Automo-
bile club perhaps $500. Good results,
have been so apparent and so simple
to attain that the farmers now see the
benefits OF the split log drag, and are
conducting a better roads movement
in Lancaster county on their own ac-I
count. One of the club members was
elected supervisor of his township
solely on a split log road drag plat
| form. The Lancaster county farmer
has become convinced after one year
of observation Of the Lancaster Auto
mobile clubs activities that the club
means business; that the split log drag
| is the simplest and most effective
remedy for diseased country earth
roads that can be found any where,
and that good roads benefit the farmer
as well as the automobilist.
Inside Of another year the Lancaster
club hopes to persuade it's rural good
roads friends that the water-breaker is
unnecessary in any roadway, and It is
hoped to persuade county supervisors
to crown their roads in the middle so
that the water shall run into the de-
cutters, also to persuade them to put
in underground draining in place OF
the useless surface drainings