Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-07-20

printing press alone excepted, those IN
NentiouS which abridge distance EaVe
done most tor the civilization of our
specics."-Lord McCauley, in his His
tory OF England.
The public highway has. from the
earliest time, been a barometer of civ
ilization. No matter what OF progress
and advancement in science art, and
c"mmercialism, al interest IN good
roads invariably marks h outpost
Perhaps now, more than at any other
time in the worlds history. is the pub
lie highway demanding it's full share
Of consideration.
IF our farm life is to be made more
attractive and our agricultural re
sources fully developed. it is essential
that the rural highways of the conn
tiS be Improved. However fertile the
soil and however favorable the eli
mate. the farmer cannot make any
great Roadway toward material pros
Iarity without improved roads. Inc
school system Ia be perfect and the
churches may be numerous. but II the
roads are bad, the farmer is Isolated
from both. Ii these statements be &C
without road Improvement We can ex-
pect no very great social, moral. mem
tai ard material development on the
farm"
Present Status.
TIL problem of building country
reads to suit traffic is the II great
problem relating to modern highway
ume of traffic, and weight of loads,
and The advent OF swift moving We
hicles, are bringing about Il transitional
state in u traffic conditions similar
to that which occurred $50 years 6
when the wheeled vehicle superseded
the pack horse. In view of present
development, 1t is apparent hat the
determining factor of traffic in sime
to come will be the mechanically
driven vehicle. These new conditions
are introducing elements OF destruc-
ton in addition to those which have
heretofore characterized improved
roadways, so that now IT is apparent
and satisfactory the old methods OF
highway construction may have been,
they are today obsolete, e~Xtravagant
and waSteful.
The present demand is not merely
that We shall have good roads. but
roads that mean satisfaction and COM
fort to the user, onom to the tax
payer and so constructed that the ques~
ton of durability, permanency and free
dom from repair is without concern.
According to an investigation made
by the office of public roads. there
We're at the close of 1904. 2.151 $40 miles
of public roads in the United States.
OF this mileage. 1O8, 232.9 miles We're sur
faced with gravel, 3S.621.T miles with
tone. and $780, miles with special ma
terials, making Il total OF 1873, SAB miles
improved. or IA per cent. 1t is esti-
mated upon the basis of such state re-
ports as are available that there has
been an increase in macadam roads
since 1904 of 1875 per cent; Of gravel,
~ NOR. cant. on1 nf onnriat C1frfan tv1 o.
materials, 25 per cent: which would
indicate a total of 176, 1893 miles of
improved roads at the present time, or
SO per cent of the total mileage.
The total expenditure for tho year
1904 amounted to s53,S SIS. 3S1.9S from
cash, So. $40, 1908 from bond issues, S.
GD7, 322.66 from state treasures. "
si9. BIS, 1868 representing statute labor
computed upon the basis Of the pre-
vailing wages in each county for that
class of work. making a total of $79,-
T7l,417.87. 1t is therefore. apparent
that the expenditures have been IL of
plished. 1t is unnecessary to seek far
to discover the causes which are re-
sponsible for the poor condition OF u
public roads.
I'm the first place, until within the
past few years, the policy Of extreme
lOCdilLdSlOA PIGVdilGO III dJI GA inc
states in h administration of the pub
lie roads, and today this policy pre-
wallis in the majority of the states. 1t
places upon the county. and In most
cases upon the road district or TOWN.
ship. the entire burden of constructing
and maintaining the roads and leaves
to it the initiative as we'll as the final
determination as to the policy which
shall be pursued in carrying Of the
work.
I'm the seccnd place, our road laws
for the most part do not contemplate
the necessity for skilled supervision in
rcad work; hence nine-tenths OF the
work done is under the direction of
men who have no knowledge of o
building. and who have only a pass
ing interest in 1t. This is a situation
which is truly amazing. for skill is de-
manded in practically every other line
of work.
The third element. which of itself
would prove effective hindrance to eff
or the method of assessing Dad taxes
in day labor, and OF allowing an I'M
disciplined body of workmen who have
no inclination to render ar adequate
days service, who have no knowledge
whatever OF the work, and who are
frequently unused to manual labor.
The fourth element of weakness in
our system lies in our method of main
.enance We repair our roads as 81 rule
at such times as farm work will per-
nit, and this means that the roads
receive attention once or twice a year.
Such a system is absurd. for certainly
repairs will be more thorough and cost
less money and labor If made as soon
az defects appear. than if The
road is allowed to go almost to
ruin before attention is given it."-Ex-
cerpt from a report by the United
States office of public roads.