Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-02-03

commissioners OF the counties of
Gratiot and Isabella, held in the city
hall last Thursday, Townsend \. Ely,
State Highway Commissioner, and
Frank f. Rogers, Deputy State High
way Commissioner, gave interesting
talks TO the township commissioners
and others who attended.
The institute was for the benefit OF
highway commissioners throughout
the county and Messrs. Ely and Rog-
crs were here for the purpose of in
structing them At this meeting
there were seven of the Isabella
county commissioners and nine from
Gratiot present. Besides these there
were as many supervisors and others
interested in good roads, making a
total Of about thirty-hvc i'm attend
ance.
Mr.. Ely opened the institute with
a talk on new state laws relative To
road matters, especially emphasizing
the changes between the present laws
and those in existence before the
last legislature convened That
which affects the farmers most di-
rcctly perhaps Is the new statute i'm
regard 10 removing obnoXious weeds
from their properties The new law
provides that the commissioner can
give notice to remove such weed,
simply by posting in the township
four posters giving information to
that effect. and by publishing a no
tjcc in some local paper circulating
in that township. This differs from
the old law in that formerly the
commissioner was required 10 serve
personal notice ON each man before
il wa, legal This is an important
change and one which every farmer
should be aware of II the weeds
are not cut by the date provided for
ON these notices the commissioner Is
instructed TO order them cut and
turn the bill over to the supervisor
in his township. who must add ten
per cent OF the total cost and as
scss il against the property.
In the afternoon Mr.. Ely spoke on
the work Of the state highway com
mission. He said that something
over 800 miles of roads had been
built and approved by the state in
,pcctors. This work has extended
into sixty of the eighty-three coun-
ties in Michigan One hundred and
fifty miles OF these roads have been
built within the last fiscal year end
ing July /. 1909 For every mile OF
gravel road the state pays a reward
of $500. so that the work that has
already been done has used up S111.-
600 of the S140.0O0 appropriated at
the last session of legislature for this
work. However. there will undoubt-
cdly be enough left to provide for
any future building up to the time
that the next legislature convenes for
the former highway commissioner
LETT about $4,000 of the preceding
appropriation untouched. Thus. al
though there are being constructed
almost enough new roads to-use up
what remains of last years money
that which the preceding commits
sioner carried over will take care OF
the roads which may be begun from
now on.
Following Mr.. Ely. Mr. Rogers
took up the question OF how to con-
struct properly good gravel roads
The law requires that a turnpike
must be not less than rs feet IN
width. but this is the narrowcst limit
and is somewhat too narrow. the
l. RI
the neighborhood of - or % feet
BY number of models he showed
lust how to make the roadbcd along
level country. through hills where
cuts would be required, and in val
lcvs needing embankments. At the
sides of the road there should be
gulleys to drain the road properly,
the size of these gulleyS depending
largely upon the peculiar character
istics of the country. The roadway
itself should be nine feet wide and
the bed should be cut into the soil
and left in a sort of a rounding shape
The ratio of the curve to the width
of the roadway should be one inch to
one foot That j. the center of a
twenty-iour foot road should be
twelve inches higher than the side
The bed of the road should be COW
cred with two layers of gravel. one
six inches thick and another on top
Of that four inches thick \ road
nine feet wide and covered with this
thickness will take l.500 yards of
gravel
Mr.. Rogers urged upon his listen
ers TO be very careful about their
work and not to do it in a slouchy
way. as il was cheaper in the long
run to do it right in the first place.