The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-08-26
SUGGESTIONS FOR
BETTER HIGHWAYS
In Indiana Made by Official
of the Department Of
Agriculture.

49,
ANA which permits the farmer to work
out his taxes and countenances other
evils equally as serious as viewed by
the department of agriculture Is the
subject OF an article by Louis Ludlow,
Washington correspondent for the In
dianapolis Star. The evils of the sys-
tenn AZ pointed out by Mr.. Ludlow are
thoroughly concurred In by the Wayne
county offcials. who are cognizant
with the conditions. These officials de-
clare the criticism is particularly ap-
propriate to the situation in Wayne
county and explains why the roads are
not In as good shape as one would
Judge when considering the amount Of
money utilized for this purpose. The
account In part Ia as follows:
Director of Public Roads Page su.-
40 the cure for the evils of the lndt-
ana road-building system:
1. A policy of Capitalization.
2. The creation Of a state highway
department made up of a nonpaid
highway commission, which shall Sc
lect highway engineer OF the high
est possible attachments to supervise
the road building in the state.
3. State aid in road building.
!. Legislation requiring all road tax
90 to be paid In money.
5. For every mile of road built with
the aid of the state money a certain
amount to be set aside for maint<,-
nance under the state highway depart
ment.
The Department OF Agriculture re-
CARDS the Indiana system of road bull
ding as about the worst there Is in
the country. The department is at a
loss to understand why state which
has such lavish abundance of good
road building materials as Indiana
should cling to the methods Of road
construction that are SO antiquated
and ineffective, 70 careless and waste
ful as to excite the ridicule of men
who. have studied road building as a
science.
There IL no state in the Union that
ought to have better roads than Indi.
ana. according to the Department.
view; likewise there Is no state where
road building is more greatly hamper.
ed by graft, favoritism and ineficiency.
The department is preparing re-
port which will soon be ready for the
press. which will throw some light on
road work In the Hoosier state It will
show very low cost per mile of Indi-
ana highway construction.
For example. the average cost per
mile Of building macadam roads in In.
9diana. 10 hardly more than half of the
average cost for the country at large
The reason for this cheapness, 1t is
pointed out. IL that Indiana roads are
built In cheap manner, literally
scraped and thrown together without
regard to the well-known principles Of
scientific road building.
s No Careful Work.
The report will state that Indiana
roads are not carefully constructed;
that most of them are gravel and built
by farmers working out their taxes"
the gravel being placed. on the road
without the proper preparation Of the
foundation.
The department regards the law for
the working out OF taxes as q relic of
the dark ages. Its operation in Indiana,
the department believes 10 wholly bad.
Railroad companies award contracts
for working out their taxes to contrac-
tors who sublet the work to local haul
ere.
The result ID that the contractors
get fat pay. while the roads receive q
lick and promise. The department is
amazed BY the number of road oficials
there are In Indiana and 10 convinced
that three-fourths OF them could be
abolished to the betterment of the SER
vice.
Logan w. Page, director OF the once
Of public roads of the Department of
Agriculture. outlined some OF the
faults Of the Indiana highway system.
First In Mileage.
'1ndIana's progress in road improve
ment has been unique he said. "Ac-
Cording to the record OF mileage of
improved roads 1t stands first among
al the states of the Union, and yet
her methods Of construction have
been In % many cases faulty and cost
w.
1T 10 apparent that there is a multi
tude Of road officials in Indiana, all of
them Of local character, and mono
having complete authority to direct q