The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-04-15
NAMED As time FOR !
GETTING TOGETHER on GOOD ROADS
County Wide Campaign Will be Started in Earnest and
Meeting Of Better Highway Boosters
on April 20.

lie. by the United. States department
of agriculture. Secretary Wilson
shows that 100000 miles. Of road mus
be improved before the public road
system can be considered really eff
cient.
1t is only within recent years that
the movement for better roads has
gained force. The consequences OF. de-
lay are shown in the fact that there
are now but 190,476 miles Of improv-
ed roads in this country. These inn
proved roads constitute $3.50 per cent
of the total mileage of all public
roads. improved and u~nimproved. 1t
is figured that the percentage will
have'to be increased to twenty before
country with the minimum Of wear
and tear on horses, wagons and auto
mobiles.
Tho French system of roads. long
considered the best in the world, was
bonded by Napoleon Ill for 5000, 900
and something in the neighborhood
of $612,775,000 has already been
spent on that system. In this country
owing to the great distances. it is
will have to be spent before a proper
road system Is developed.
Not So Large After All.
While the amount necessary to per-
feet a great road system seems fab
ulously large. 1t does not seem so
large when it is divided among the
various states and spread over a Pc
road of five, ten or fifteen years.
When it is considered that New York
state has bonded itself for $50 .000.-
900 and that $1,000, 900 a year Is now
being expended by that state it will
be seen that a nationwide system
might soon be perfected were oil
states to progress as rapidly.
New York heads the list Of states
which have made the greatest prog
ress in road building between 1904
n 1909. That state has built 6,911
miles of new road in that period.
Georgia is second and has built A.
344 miles of road in the five years.
buted to the use Of 1880 prisoners
o nthe public roads of the state.
South Carolina. Alabama and Florida
have also. made great gains by build
ing sand-clay roads and this is a very
cheap and satisfactory type of road
building.
At the recent session of the New
Jersey legislature a bill was passed
by unanimous vote in both houses au-
thoriEing the employment Of prison.
erS In. road maintenance work.
Similar experiments in tho south
and west have apparently proved uc-
cessful; u they have not received
the recognition due them. The idea
OF. the chain-gang, with, which the
system Is enormously associated. is re-
pugnant to eastern minds. as is also
that Of the humiliation a prisoner is
supposed to undergo when subjected
to work in the open air.
Three States Interested.
Three widely separated .states-Il-
linois, Florida and Connecticut-in re-
ports to the National, Good Roads
board Of the American Automobile
association gave added proof of the
nationwide campaign of highway inn
proVement which has spread to ali
parts of the country 81. ;
1t is inevitable in this work that the
organized owners of: Inotor-drivcn We:
hicles figure very prominently. in
Illinois the Chicago Motor club and
the Chicago Automobile club. assist
ed by the Illinois State Automobile
association. were recently responsible
for the formation of the Illinois High
way Improvement association. which
had Its initiatory at d gathering in
Chicago wherein some 10000 road en-
thusiasts were represented.
Warden lyman of the Colorado pen
ftentiary, explained his successful sys-
TEN of utilizing convicts in road
building. Chairman Homer Tice of
the state legislature good roads com,
mittee supplied information which
told how far in the rear Illinois is in
II good roads movement.