The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-07-11

road administration which Is universal

road administration when IS Hn1FerSai'
ly conceded to be the very acme OF IN
efficicncy-nameiy, statute labor ana
the working out Of property taxes
Men who work out their tax do it
grudgingly because they think they
are being imposed upon. They do 1t
poorly because it 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-
derstanding 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
1t 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 $26,5OO0OO 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
! 1000, 900 miles of earth road In the
United States. They point to the fact
that to macadamize 100000 miles a,
$4,000 per mile would cost $10,O0OOoO.
600. That this is mistaken view o.
the subject can be easily demonstrat
ed. When all the roads Of the countr!
are classified according to traffic re
auirements It will result in the ellml
nation of many thousands Of miles o
totally unnecessary road and of man.
more thousands Of miles by relocation
STRENGTHENING of curves and variOu
other expedients.
Careful investigations have been cal
ried on In various parts of the countr
which prove that about 20 per cent
the roads accommodate about 30 pc
cent of the traffic. so that if the road
ara to be improved in such a way q
to do the greatest good to the grea
est number it will be necessary to in
prove only about one-fifth of the tot;
mileage with stone and other hard nj
terials, leaving the rest to be take
care Of as earth roads.
The whole subject of road 1mproS
ment in the United States is now pas
ing through transitory stage. we al
| fn moot
conditions of traffic with new form
of construction, but our various sta
legislatures are actively engaged
endeavoring to meet the demand +
road improvement by the enactment
suitable legislation and by the appr
: priation of the necessary funds.
We have tried many expedients
the administration of our public roat
= among them the toll road system, viii
: involves private control over pup
+ utility. This is manifestly unsound
= a public enterprise, and 1t Is sour
of qualification that the toll road s.
tenn has been largely abandoned.
Even in the states which have I
: lowed a progressive policy during I
/ last few years most of the roads
still under local control. Year by ye
z we have been frittering away our II
lions maintaining the roads in tn
l., primitive condition until the yea
F., tribute of road taxes in the Unit
States now amounts to over S14O.U
GOO and our petty road officials h'
:. grown to an army more than lOO,'
strong. The incompetence of la
= number Of officials is more difficult
remedy than the Incompetence OF
- gle official. 1t is manifestly lmpossl
)" for district or township with ilml
~ revenues to secure the assistance.
d vice and supervision Of high gr'
III engineer, whereas in centralized
IL TEN the cost is so widely distribu
u. as to impose but slight burden