El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-10-21

revolution in our public highways. Take
France. for instance. Its roads are all
under the department of public works.
at the head of which is a cabinet min
lister Each province has its road or
ganiZatiOn and each district It's road
employees down to the road canJOneer
who has charge Of two or three miles OF
roadway, for which he alone IS respOns-
ible The system is such that every
road in France is under the direct control
of the minister Of public works, and II
any part Of the system Is wrong ne
knows iust who should remedy 1t and
who is responsible. Some such organ
iz8tiOn might be made in the various
states, or for the whole United states.
At any rate, the roads of every state and
county should be under competent engl-
neers, experienced in road construction
and maintenance. These men should
have authority to make the plans Tor
the roads, and to improve them subject
to the directions of the higher aIthOrI-
ties, and they should be paid enough so
that they can devote their entire time 70
the work. Such engineers are now en-
plOyed In many of the states, and IN
those counties which are bonding them
selves to make better roads.
Government Road Work.
@What kind Of roads does your office
make?"
I'VE are making object lesson and ex-
perimental 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 1T Is now, we
have built in the neigbborhOod Of 800
such roads in 81 different states. These
roads are or the various kinds best
suited to the several localities Some are
OF macadam, some are Of brick, some OF
{ gravel or s3nd-clay and others are oiled
and cement roads In this work the gov
/ eminent furnishes the engineering su-
/ perVlslOn, and prepares the plans, specl-
I flcations and estimates of the work. The
locality pays the other expenses In adj
dItlOn 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,
maintenance 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
I are now eQulpplng a certain number Of
I cars with models Of roads and specimens
I OF road material as well as Of bridges,
I cUlverts and other such things. These
/ cars viii be sent over the country, stop
I
I pie as TO what good roads are and how
| uleT should be made. They VIII be
I handled somewhat after the method OF
the grain exhibition cars Of the corn belt
in addition to these things, the office
Of public roads is training school for
highway engineers. Our men are all civil
engineers. the graduates Of the best Of
the colleges who have passed our exam
nations. After working with us a short
time they are in great demand over the
country where road Improvement is now
gong on Many CT elem are employed
Dy the states or 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 Is 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 S5O,OOO,O00, to be spent at
the rate Of S5;OO0000 q year, the various
counties TO supply an equal amount A
great deal Of such Improvement Is going
on IN the south. Virginia has apprO-
prlared quarter Of a million dollars
wear to be spent under the state high
way department, and Louisiana VIII levy
a tax Of One-I0uTth of mill on all of
her taxable property as a highway fund-
Alabama has made extensive apprOpria-
lions. and Maryland VIII spend this year
a million and a quarter dollars in the
same way. At the present time the is
southern states have available for road
expenses about 100000 600, which is lust
double the amount devoted to such pur-
poses in 1904. Indeed. the south mas be-
come highly interested In improving its
roads
Working of Convicts.
Il understand that many OF the south !
ern states are working their roads with 1
convict labor?"
Yes. and I think with great profit /
In Virginia the state cOnvicts are en-
plOved in road building, and the super
vising engineers say that the convict 4
labor Is even more effective than paid ]
labor. Georgia has nearly 5000 prisoners [
at work on its roads. Louisiana viii use (
It's state cOnvlcts IN the same way, and q I
part of the Alabama appropriation for I
the roads comes from the convict labor I
fund / see no reason why c0nvicts /
should not be worked on the roads. In I
such cases they do not compete with free /
labor as IN the prison factories, and the 1
CDen-alr work should be healthy.
What Good Roads Cost
Nv hat does good road cost9n III
asked.
That depends much on the location /
and the materials at hand 1t is cheap
er TO build GOOD roads i'm the south than /
in the north, for the southern wages are I
lower and the working period Is longer /
thrOugaOut the year. The most Of the (
southern soil Is good for the purpose. {
There Is plenty of gravel ard s3nd-clay, (
and we can made macad3m roads there /
cheaper than In the north. In Louisiana l
q nae2dam road can be made for s 500 Z
a mile, and the average cost in nine dit I
ferent states of the south Is less than I
$4,000 per mile. I'm Butler county, Ohio [
where they are now making bituminOus Z
nacadam roads. the cost is $1,000 q mile. D
while In Massachusetts the average mac
adam costs $4,000 per mile. The average /
cost of making slate roads in New York 1
is more than $4,000, and Ohio, which has I
made many brick roads. has recently let I
out contract for the construction of 1
fives miles of such roads near Ravenna,