The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1911-09-15
REFUSE TO BRAG ABOUT
|ND|ANA'S GOOD ROADS

much progress. There seemed to be a
feeling that the state was creating too
many commissions and boards and that
it was about time to put stop to the
exravagance in that direction. Some
of the legislators declared that they
were in favor of better highway laws.
but they did not favor the creation of
a state highway commission until the
state could get rid OF some of the pres
emit useless boards and commissions. all
of which costing the state lot of
money each year.
Under the bill introduced by Senator
Fleming, and which was regarded by
the good roads people as a good bill. a
system was proposed by which the state
highway commission should have fun
charge and direction of the construction
of all public roads. state engineers
were to either prepare or pass all
plans and specifications for road build
ing and repairs. The state was to COL
lect a road tax. and whenever a public
road was constructed or repaired the
state and the county each to pay
half of the cost of the work. 1t was
estimated by those backing the BILL
based on Investigations made in other
states that have highway commissions
that this system would save the people
of the state a large amount of money
each year-hundreds of thousands of
dollars. IN fact, for it would afford an
economical and uniform system for
road building.
Another good roads bill was intro
duced in the legislature. hut it. too.
failed to get through. mainly because
of the activity of the lobby of road tax
contractors that worked against it.
| This bill provided that all road tax in
I
township IN cash instead of being
worked out on the highways of the
township. This bill was aimed at tn.
! crooked practice of railroads and other
large corporations in letting out their
road work by contract in the various
! towns hips. This is one of the greatest
| CRAFTS in the state. A railroad. for in
stance, that owes a thousand dollars
& road tax in township. makes a con :
+ tract with a road tax contractor who
agrees to work il out in the township
for 5000. Thus the road saves 800
Then the contractor goes to the farm
ers along the roads in the township and
hires them to do the work on the roads
at a cost tohm of from $500 to $500
The farmers do the work in a haphaz
ard, careless and purposeless manner
in most cases, and when they have
competed their work the roads III
many cases are no better than they
were before they started. and in many
instances they are worse
Thus. the township receives but about
so per cent of the work than it should
receive from the railroad, and wher
you consider the manner In which tha
work is done you will find that thu
township in fact receives but little rea
benefit from the $1,000 of road tar
which was assessed against the rail
road.
1t was to correct this evil that tn.
bill was introduced in the legislature
The contractors grow rich on these con,
tracts. Some of them admitted las
winter that they made from 100000 t.
s150,o0o year clear money on the con
tracts. The hackers of the bill con
tended that if the money was paid in il
cash the township trustees could thel
use it in a proper manner for real worl
on the roads Of his township, and tina
I he could get better results for the mon
ney than the township gets under tn
J present system. But the lobby got II