The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-04-12
Bettering the Highways

road administration which Is universal
ly conceded To be the very acme of in
efficiency-namely, statute labor and
the working out of property taxes.
Men who work out their tax do it
grudgingiy because they think they
are being imposed upon. They do 1t
poorly because 1t is work which they
know but little about. They render the
least possible amount of service be
cause it seems to be the general un-
Outstanding that the object of the
statute laborer should be to shirk work
rather than to perform it. There is
scarcely any attempt at discipline, and
it Is obvious that discipline with such
an assemblage of workmen would be
impossible.
Many Of the states provide for work
ing out the property road tax, and this
has grown to be an even greater source
of weakness than statute labor, for in
1904 about $26, 100000 of the property
tax was paid in labor, or. in other
words, was practically wasted.
Opposition on the part of ultra con-
servatives to the general improvement
of the public roads is frequently based
on the belief that the advocates of
road improvement contemplate sur
facing with hard material the entire
100000 miles Of earth road in the
United States. They point to the fact
that to macadamize 100000 miles at
$4,000 per mile would cost $4,000, OO0,-
600. That this is mistaken view or
the subject can be easily demonstrate
ed. When all the roads OF the country
are classified according to traffic re-
Quirements it will result in the elimi-
nation of many thousands Of miles OF
totally unnecessary road and of many
more thousands of miles by relocation,
Strengthening Of curves and various
other expedients.
Careful Investigations have been car
ried on in various parts Of the country
which prove that about 20 per cent OF
the roads accommodate about 80 per
cent Of the traffic, so that il the roads
are to be improved in such way as
to do the greatest good to the great
est number it will be necessary to I'M
prove only about one-fifth Of the total
mileage with stone and other hard ma
terials, leaving the. rest to be taken
care of as earth roads. ..#
The whole subject Of road improve
ment in the United States is now pass
ing through transitory stage. We are
striving not only to meet the new
conditions Of traffic with new forms
Of construction, but our various state
legislatures are actively engaged in
endeavoring to meet the demand for
road Improvement by the enactment OF
suitable legislation and by the appro-
priation Of the necessary funds.
We have tried many expedfents in
the administration of our public roads,
among them the toll road system, which
involves private control over public
utility. This is manifestly unsound in
a public enterprise, and it is q source
of qualification that the toll road sys-
tenn has been largely abandoned.
Even In the states which have fol
lowed progressive policy during the
last few years most Of the roads are
still under local control. Year by year
we have been frittering away our mil
lions maintaining the roads in their
primitive condition until the yearly
tribute of road taxes in the United
States now amounts to over $4,000
600 and our petty road officials have
grown to an army more than 100000
strong. The Incompetence of a large
number Of officials is more difficult to
remedy than the incompetence Of sin
gle official. 1t is manifestly impossible
for district or township with limited
revenues to secure the assistance, ad-
vice and supervision of high grade
engineer. whereas in centralized sys-
tenn the cost is so widely distributed
as to impose but slight burden on
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