The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-06-24

seer is appointed and this man is al.
most absolute and responsible to no ont
for the road work in his district. With
but few exceptions there have been M
clearly defined plans of improving ant
making continuous our main Travelled
roads. Each> road overseer uses his owl
Il Judgment as to how to build road
and where it is most needed. The re
suits are amusing or would be if there
were not SO much waste involved.
81 wish to assume you that / am
not here to unduly or harshly criticise
any man for the work that has been
done. | am speaking of system OF
which we are all members, and doing
SO only with the hope that we may
be able to work out a better plan and
better sysem for doing our road work
l have lately travelled roads where work
has been done, which would certainly be
called amusing by any road builder
A man may build road 10 feet wide
or 40 feet wide. He may leave it fiat,
or he may round it up so that it is
almost dangerous to drive over, and no
one but the road overseer apparently
has anything to say about it. l do
not profess to be road builder, but
II have certainly been interested and
been close observer of roads and road
work
| "This spring | have seen considerable
road work that did not improve the
road, did not leave it any better after
| it was done than before, and | believe
the time and money absolutely thrown
away.
Zone day last week at eight o'clock
in the morning ] saw four or five
teams htched to grader. AS | passed
them | wished them good luck on their
road work, and as | returned in the
what they had accomplished during the
day. They had gone over the road
several miles tearing up the sod, loose
dirt. and scooped up a narrow ridge
into the middle of the road in an IT.
regular line, digging into sides of the
road and leaving ragged PACKING along
the road without any regard to grade
or drainage, or anything else. / Judge
at least $500 to $4,000 was spent
that day by these men, and | do not
believe Is cents to 20 cents worth of
good was accomplished in the whole
district.
IF they had taken single quarter
4, or half mile of road and graded it up
to proper grade leaving well defined
bitches, there would have been some
thing permanent accomplished, but as
it was nothing whatever was done that
was of any value to the road. | do
not think that work generally is done
in so poor a maner as this, but that a
great deal of work is wasted there can
be no possible question. Every man
who has ever worked on a road knows
something about this. When / was a
boy l lived on the farm and worked
on the road myself, and | can remem-
Der that | looked forward to the road
work as good deal of picnic
Pay Road Taxes in Money.
How much more could be accomp-
I lished if the road taxes were paid in
money and spent under the direction
of careful and competent men who
could let jobs by contract or do it by
days work as they thought best, pay
ing living wages for the work and get
ting value received for every dollar
spent, you can judge just as we'll as l..
81 am aware that this is likely to
be an unpopular position to take, and
yet it is the position that many farmers
are taking for they realize the short
comings of the present system as we'll
as any one. | believe under the pres
ent law you are allowed $l.5O per man,
and $500 per day for teams on the
road. Is there a farmer whose time is
not worth $3.50 day of $500 for a
man and team, and who would not pre-
fer really to be free from doing any
road work, pay his tax in cash, and
absolutely get value received for
every dollars worth of road tax. If
any man wanted to work on the road,
he would have plenty of opportunity
and receive for his labor.
"YOu farmers are all business men.
The farmer today is running a bust
ness that demands time, skill and in
telligence. The farmers of Minnesota
are producing wealth at an almost un-
heard of rate. You are in position to
demand and get the best in everything
that goes to make up a desirable liv-
ing on the farm. You have a right
to demand roads that will enable you
to do your business at the least pos
sible cost, and that will be a pleasure
to you and your family when you go
out for social purposes.
when your road tax money is vast
ed or brings in as little result as the
work | have mentioned, you are losing
money that should be spent so as to
bring in big returns. There is no
question but that thoroughly improved
roads add very materially to, the value
of your farms. If | were a farmer and
were seeking to buy a farm, l would
not think of buying one where l could
not have the advantage and privileges
of first class gravel road The twenty
representative farmers mentioned earl
Ter, estimated their farms would be
worth 50 per acre more if stu
ated on first class gravel roads.
In this country we are liable to have
long spells of wet weather. Often at such
times the markets are very high for
yOnr produce You should have the
privilege of hauling your produce to
son of the year.
Last year after very heavy rain
when farm work was at a standstill,
man living on one of the few first
class roads in this vicinity said to his
help: Boys, it is too wet to do any
thing else. Put load of wheat on and
| will take it to town." He did so,
and got $l.24 per bushel The amount