The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1910-03-28

! contribute, tends to equalize the bur-
den of taxation, and the percentage of
benefit, city and country, as compared
with other cities and towns.
There are three principal classes of
road work in the state of Washington:
County road work done entirely by
the board of county commissioners.
state aid road work in which the
county bears one half the expense and
the state the other half, in the i'm
provement of county roads, the work
being done by the state under the
supervision of the state highway
commissioners.
state roads, built entirely at state
expense, are intended to extend be-
tween counties, connecting different
communities and constituting trunk
lines of travel.
1.-THE desire for good roads is gem
eral. What is needed is specific
method of securing them. The old
method of working out a road tax is
gone never to return. While not much
better results have been secured I'M
der the new system, owing largely to
inefficiency, it is a move in the right
direction. What is needed is a thor
ough knowledge of the best method
of construction adapted to each diff
ferent community. Before really good
roads are secured We need to be edu-
Gated for road building Meantime,
we want better roads if we cannot
have good roads.
1T may be in order to suggest some
practical method of road building
which the average man can follow
There are certain principles of road
construction which are elementary.
Reasonable grades are necessary. A
good. natural location. The road bed
must be graded up and crowned to
secure drainage, and side bitches con-
structed to carry the water away from
the travelled roadway. Grading is a
good deal, but drainage is everything
with the vast mileage of roads in
Washington only a small per cent can
be made really good roads in the
present generation. The worst roads
are usually found nearest the market
centers where the travel converges
The proper place to begin the work
of road building is at such centers,
and the way to go is out in each di-
rection. If every road leading out of
every town in the state were made
good for one mile. the condition of
the roads in Washington would be i'm
proved SO per cent.
Grading and Drainage.
"The foundation for every gravelled
Or macadam road is grading and
drainage. Grading and drainage make
a better road, gravelling and macad-
amizing good road. So we can lay
the foundation for good roads by a
proper construction Of dirt roads.
1.-THE highway commission has in
preparation standard plans of con-
structiOn for each class of road adapt
ed to every locality in the state. When
these plans are completed and in the
hands of road supervisors and build
ers. substantial results will follow.
This will constitute a primary course
in road building. When the best
methods of construction are ascer-
tanned and standardized and such
standards are resuired to be followed,
then we can expect substantial re-
suits in road building.
"To secure effective results there
state and county authorities The in
itiative and incentive to road improve
ment will come from state wide agi-
tation. This is the underlying motive
of the state aid laws. Whatever OBJ
lection may be urged against the pres
ent method of expanding the state aid
funds. there remains no doubt as to
the need of such funds to secure
needed activity in the Improvement of
county roads.
Whether the present plan of ex-
penditure be retained, or the money
be expended under local authority or
otherwise, will depend very largely on
the result of an investigation to be
made by a special legislative commit !
tee, to consist of one member from |!
each county in the state to report at
the next meeting of the association to
be held in Walla Walla in November,
1910"