Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1912-06-26
COMMUNITY SPIRIT IN
ROAD IMPROVEMENT
What Can Be Done When the
Spirit is Willing.
How Fifty-five Miles of Road Was
Transformed Into an Ideal High
way in Seven Days.

The following story of road build
ing is taken from a recent issue OF
The Farmer, published at st. Paul,
and is published by request Of local
citizen interested in good roads:
The agitation for better roads, which
is today sweeping the whole United
States and exciting many and varied
forces to effective action. is one of the
most important. as we'll as most
stupendOus, movements which has
ever engaged the attention of the
people of this country. Permanent
road building is costly and protract-
ed operation, and to establish good
highways over the more than two
million miles of roads in the United
States is problem that we'll might
daunt the most optimistic and fear
less. However, the time has come
and people realize it-when we can
no longer afford to waste time and
labor in the transportation of farms
crops to market that might largely be
conserved with improved rural roads,
European countries have solved the
problem, and the excellence of their
highways is matter of universal
admiration and envy to Americans
visiting across the water; while the
United States is virtually in the same
condition as it was fifty years ago.
During the past few years. some pxo
gress has been made; but the per-
centage is so small as to seem almost
Negligible at the present time-and
the Department of Agriculture esti-
mates that it still costs the farmer an
average of % cents per ton for each
mile of road travelled in marketing his
crops!
Something must be done to remedy
such a condition and that something
seems now under way. Federal and
state authorities are advocating and
securing appropriations of money for
road Improvement. and plans are
being mapped out for an extensive
campaign that will remedy this ex
listing evil. Permanent roads. proper
ly built, will ultimately spread
throughout the length and breadth Of
the land, if the present enthusiasm
does not wane; but what can the
farmer do until this system is.
perfectedf Years must elapse before
an undertaking of such magnitude
nv, no aro
ing communities to wait inactive
until that time shall come, and suffer
the hIndrances and obstacles of poor
transportation as in past years That
remains entirely fer themselves to
decide, as good roads could have been
secured in any community long ago if
the farmers themselves had taken q
hand in the matter and promoted their
J own highway improvement without
waiting for it to be done for them
and they can do it today.
Until permanent highways are
effected. good roads can be made and
already there. and this with practical
ly no expense except for labor bGt
the people will have TO do it them
: selves. It is simply a matter Of
arousing commur ty spirit and pride.
The King split Jg read drag offers
the posi- bility of an evolution in
country roads. and the proper and
timely use Of this simple and in
expensive implement. which anyone
can make, with the road grader will
insure good roads throughout the
greater part of the year. All that is
necessary is to round up the road
with the grader, removing the sods
from the road bed or placing them in
the low spots to be covered with two
or three feet of earth, and then main
tanning the crown on the road by
means of frequent use of the split-log
drag. Drainage, of course must first
be provided, as water is the great
destroyer of roads; and when the
road is SO shaped as to shed water
instead of holding it in ruts and
hollows-this shape being constantly
northumberland drains provided that
will carry the water away, then
good roads will be an actual fact in
our rural communities. let the great
trunk lines" come when they may
Until this method of local i'm
provement is tried, people will hard
ly believe how simple and easy it is.
tContinued on I'd page)