The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-09-09
Friday, September 9, 1910

meeting soi the Commercial club last
night, had there been a meeting:
Good sThunder, Mimi, September 8,
l9l0.-Mr. George NJ. Palmer, Mankato.
Mimi Dear Sir: Being informed that
the Mankato Commercial club intends
to have good roads meeting soon,
and that YOU are chairman of the good
roads committee, would you kindly
bring this matter before your club?
Every one knows that the present
method of working off road taxes is
waste of public funds and very often
only a damage TO the roads. To get
universally good roads we must break
away from this antiquated system and
establish law to have all road taxes
paid in cash and worked off by con-
tract under competent supervision.
Now. before election, is the time to
put this matter before our prospective
legislators and the people. and it would
be most effective, backed by an infu-
entail commercial body.
would suggest that your club APP
point a committee to draft good
roads bill and have one of our legis-
lators introduce it. By enlisting the
aid of the commercial clubs. medical
societies and other influential bodies
of the state, in bringing pressure to
bear on their legislators, the bill could
easily be passed. The subject is pop
ular and | know all fair minded farm
crs favor such a change.
The bill ought TO embody the fol-
lowing:
First. Cash payment of all road
taxes.
Second. a county superintendent or
overseer of roads and bridges, who
must be Il competent road builder.
Third. An advisory board, composed
of chairmen of local town boards.
Fourth District contractors, under
the supervision and responsible to the
county overseer.
The result of the cash system would
be that every farmer would be Il kicker
about the roads, if those he travels
are not kept in the best possible con-
L
say word.
I'm this section the road taxes in.
Guiding poli-taX averages from $2J to
$50 per running mile annually. The
amount worked off is small PEI
cent of this and at that is usually
applied III Il useless manner. S. per
mile would keep the roads dragged
and the balance would build a good
stretch OF permanent road annually.
The duties of the county overseer
would be to have charge of contractors
and supervise road building He must
inspect all roads two or three times
year with the local contractor and
member OF the advisory board. on the
first tour making necessary recommen-
dations for repairs. and OH the second
checking up and passing on the work
done.
- Tie advisory board should cooperate
with the overseer i'll planning work
TO be done, hire contractors. etc.
The duties of the contractors to be
tG drag all roads after rains, cut weeds,
do grading and build roads in most APP
proved manner under direction of over
seer and board.
With the road-funds spent under
such system we would soon get the
best roads possible considering the ma
ture of our soil. The roads i'm Blue
Earth county being largely clay loan
must be dragged after every rain to
be kept i'll fair shape and this would
not use up twenty five per cent of the
taxes, the balance would build several
miles of permanent road annually, in
each township.
Appropriations for state roads and
the building and crawling of some
roads by private funds is commendable
but is not the remedy for the poor
condition most of our highways are in
at present. A road is as bad as its
worst mud-hole. even if the balance is
macadamized. Roads must be in such
a condition that one could travel any
where day or two after a rain,
without encountering the mudholes and
ruts we are so used to seeing
hope your club may be induced to
Immortalize its name and that of one
OF our legislators by assisting in max
ing good, practical road law.
Yours truly,
j. L. Schlesselman, NJ. ID.