The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-10-24

and states. but in many cases
lne money is being unwisely spent
HOW Our Public Highways should Re
Managed.
What would be the best system Of
ROAD improvements" / asked.
II We could nave a general road
ORGANIZATION such as that OF some of
the countries of Europe, il would
create a revolution in our public
highways Take France. for instance.
It's roads are all under the Depart-
ment Of Public Works. at the head OF
which is a cabinet minister. Each
province has its road organization and
edch district its roa EN- ployes down
70 the road cantoneer. who has charge
oI TWO or three miles of roadway, for
"hich he alone is responsible. The
1Ss,eni Is such that every road in
france is under the control Of the
Minister of Public Works. and if any
part or the system is wrong he knows
Just who should remedy # and who
is responsible. Some such organiza-
tlon might be made in the various
states or for the whole United States.
AT n rate, the roads of every State
and county should be under compe-
tent engineers, experienced in road
construction and maintenance. The
men should have authority to make
the plans for the roads and to improve
them subject to the direction of the
nlgher authorities, and they should be
paid enough SO that they can devote
their time to the work. Such engineers
are now employed in many Of the
states, and in those counties which
are bonding themselves to make bet
ter roads.
G~Oyernnlent Road Work.
What kind of roads does your office
make?"
W are making object lesson and
experimental roads here and there
over the country, to show the people
what good roads are and how they
should improve those OF the present.
AS it is now we have built in the neigh
borhoOd of 800 such roads in thirty
four different States. These roads
are Of the various kinds best suited
to the several localities. SOM are Of
macadanl, some are of brick, some OF
gravel or sand-clay and burnt-clay,
while others are of she'll and others
are oiled and cement roads. In his
work the government furnishes the
engineering supervision and prepares
the plans. specifications n estimates
of the work. The locality pays the
other expenses. In addition to this
we test road materials and advise the
| people as to what roads are the best
for their special localities. We make
plans for the construction. mainten-
ance and administration of roads
adapted to the country which applies
for them.
"At the same time we have lecturers
going over the country to tell the
people how roads should be made, and
to show them the Importance of good
roads. We are now e%quipping a GER
tain number of cars with models Of
road and specimens Of road mate
rial as we'll as of bridges, culverts and
| of n c,1ch thino yThoca oorc will no
sent owe the country, stopping here
and there to instruct the people as to
what good roads are and how they
should be made. They will be ham
died somewhat after the method OF
the grain exhibition cars Of the corn
| belt.
I'm addition to these things, the Of
flee of public roads is a training school
for highway engineers. Our men are
all civil engineers, the graduates Of
the best of the colleges who have
passed our examinations After work.
ing with US a short time they are IN
great demand over the country where
road is now going on.
Many Of them are employed by the
States or by cities and counties, where
the salaries are larger than those PAID
by the government
What the states Are Doing.
The conversation here turned to the
work of road improvement now going
on throughout the States, when Mr..
Page said:
within the past fifteen years nearly
half of the States of the Union have
adopted the principle of giving state
aid to road building. New York has
authorized the issuance of fifty mil
lion dollars to be spent at the rate
Of five million dollars a year, the va
rious counties to supply an equal
amount. A great deal Of such i'm
provement is going on in the South
Virginia has appropriated a quarter OF
a million dollars a year TO be spent
under the State Highway Department
and Louisiana will levy u tax of one
fourth Of a mill on all her taxable
property as a highway fund. Alaba-
ma has made extensive appropriations,
and Maryland will spend this year a
million and q quarter OLA in the
same way. At the present time the