The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1911-11-25
Discussing the Model Roads of Grant

WI ufdut pdTIsn were begun wrong,
that they have been built in the
wrong place, and havecost too much
that they cost $17S5 per mile, and
We are paying $7S5 per mile too
much.
He thinks our statement that the
building Of good roads in Louisiana
costs from $1,000 to $4,000 per mile
is grandeur" assertion. For his
benefit we print the following official
f. ures given of the cost of building
ron.ls in four Louisiana parishes viz:
The Highway Department Of tn.
Bpnrd of State Engineers, since it's or
ganization on Feb. l, last. has con
fIarted for the following PROJECTS:
Giant parish, earth road, fort y-fivr
mics, $77.625; DeSotn parish,
-artb road, twenty miles, $2S, OBS;
Pk,quniiDes parish. shell road. thirty
three miles. $119,7S1 %; st. Ber-
nard parish, smell road, three miles,
$l2.117.50; the total mileage in the
four parishes being lO1, ana the cost
being $237,511.75."
A simple calculation will show
that the 101 miles in these four par
i-hes cost an average of $2361 per
milr. However, it is hardly fair to
average our earth roads with the 3
miles Of shell road in st. Bernard.
which cost that parish over $4,000
per mile, and the 33 miles of shell
road in PIaqumines parish, which
cost more than $4,000 per mile. So
we will take the average cost of the
81 miles of earth roads in Grant and
DrSoto, and We find that the averagp
cost for building in these two par
isles is $1625 per mile. Thus our
correspondent can see that our ran
dom" statement about earth roads
costing from $1,000 to $4,000 per
mile Was a pretty good guess after
all.
But we desire to give our cores
pondent a little further information
about road building, as compiled by
the Industrial Record, Of Dallas.
Texas, which has been examining in
to road building in the United States,
and phys Louisiana the high COM
pliineut of making the best showing
Tor the money expended. 1t con-
cludes it's article as follows:
Louisiana has solved the problem
that muny other States will have to
solve. aud that is the employment of
highway engineer. Effective road
buldingcannot beaccompIlshe with
put engineering skill The absence of
the engineer has costs the States of
the Southwest thousands of dollars.
They are now beginning to realize
this fart. The plan is already prov
ing OF vast benefit to Louisiana. and
it il expected that the road building
OF the State will increase in mileage
rapidly year by year. until vast
system extends to every nook aud
corner of the State
Mr.. Parish should reflect on the
foregoing, and then compare his
proposition of running straight
roads eust and west and north and
south directly through the center of
draut. The east aud west line he
proposes, would run about four miles
north of Colfax and Pollock, crossing
The widest part of Iatt Lake, and the
north mud south line would begin IN |
the Rieulette country and run into
VIM parish two miles west of Pack |
ton. The two lines would intersect
each other about 3h miles west of
Dry Prong, and We would have Sc |
miles OF road missing every town
anu community in the parish-be-
ginning Nowhere and ending No
where. The proposition needs only
to be stated tn show it's absurdity.
lnstead of this proposition we now
have 40 miles OF road that connect
the seven towns OF Colfax, Bentley.
Pollock, Dry Prong. Selma, George
town and Rochelle. We think
State Engineer has given us a much
better proposition than our critical
friend has suggested.
our correspondent is way off in his
He had bettergo back to
MS nrst endorsement of the good
roads proposition. 1t is less than
'our months since he heartily endors-
ed the building of our model roads
ana said he was ready to vote an
other tax double the one we now