The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1910-11-24
Fine PIECE OF ROAD.

Geo. Chute Describes Plan by Which
a Stretch OF Substantial Road
is Economically Built.
A Tile and Half is Rounded Up and
Graded at Cost of a Hundred
and Sixty.Eight Dollars
In making this statement of facts
to you, wish it understood that it is
made in the interest of the public for
better roads and for no other purpose.
About the first of August, County
Commissioner Cater secured an
appropriation of 500 to be worked
out on the road leading by my place,
and soon after work was begun by
blowing, disking and narrowing a
half mile stretch, beginning in the
center and back-furrowing toward the
middle, until the strip was 36 feet
wide; then two men and a team, with
a large sized slush scraper, went to
work pulling the loose dirt from the
extreme outside, working directly
across the road, back and forth to the
center, taking care that the top soil
and sod we're put into the middle as
much as possible, leaving the second
blowing, if any, to be put in the side
of the grade; as the top soil and hard
pan, where there is any available,
pack better and make a much better
road than other soil in a sandy
locality.
Now there are two kinds of bust
ness-the growing of farm products
and road work-that the cost of which
is seldom estimated either before or
after, and why not? In doing this
job the town of Princeton contributed
1868, so in all S168 was expended on
4S0 rods or IL miles. An average
of Is scrapers, heaping full, we're used
on each rod-fve scrapers full we're
equal to cubic yard. That means
cost of cents per yard for moving
the dirt or IS cents per rod for COM
plotting the road, or SIP per mile for
making a pretty good grade. It has
been plank-dragged twice since it was
disked, and narrowed to smooth it at
a cost of $40.
Two years ago the path-master told
me to NOW wire grass on a meadow
hard by and put it on 20 rod stretch
of this same road. did so at cost
of 20 cents per rod for a good coat
ing, and it lasted about 80 days.
This year this same stretch of road
was rounded up, and made firm
enough that straw or hay is unneces-
u sary, at cost of rs cents per rod
there was no grubbing to do here and
no fence or growing crop at the sides
to bother.
I expect to demonstrate that the
plank drag, if persistently used at the
right time and in the right way, is the
cheapest and best road machine that
was ever made. But road must first
be put in proper shape for it's use.
While doing this work one day we
had an extra good chance and moved
800 scrapers, or l6O cubic yards of
dirt. AS we we're working for the
town and got but 1925 per day for
two men and team that would be
just trile over 81 cents per yard.
We have fallen into a way of max
ing roads which reminds me of the
lady who had FIVE sons, one extremely
large and the other four quite small,
she wished to make each of them a
waistcoat for winter, so she bought
the cloth to make them. Says she,
|'Now John, the big fellow, has to be
out in the cold the most so I will
make him an overcoat;" but when the
rovercoat was finished she had nothing
left but few scraps to patch up the
little fellows old ones.
Most everyone admits that the sys-
tenn under which we are now trying to
maintain respectable roads is in part
wrong. If it is wrong and We can
better it let US do it Immediately.
Some will say give US state SUPER
vision. I believe we are getting
enough of that now. The crying need
of the times is for somebody to do the
work without wasting the money.
Why not abolish all poll, personal
and land road taxes. which are
worked out haphazard by everybody,
and let us all pay our road tax to the
county treasurer. Let men do the
road work who make business of it
and give the supervisors authority to
pay the road man wages that are
equal to his labor.
The making and repairing of roads
is trade and the man who knows
how and will work is skilled me-
>chanic.