The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-17
GOOD ROADS WAS
CONVENTION TOPIC
Speaker Outlined Methods
Which Can Be Adopted in
Better Conditions

Fargo. ~. d., Jan. 17.-The Tri.
State Growers convention continued
today with an increased attendance
Tho program carried out was prac.
tically the same as outlined, y. r. At.
kinson. who was scheduled to SPEAK
yesterday, delivering his address this
morning.
John Il. Stewart, professor of agri.
cultural engineering of the University
Of Minnesota followed Mr.. Shaw.
Mi. Stewart said: h road prob.
lem is mot new, neither is 1t one that
is only of interest to civilized man. for
we find hat the savage tribes as well
as animals of the lower order are
prone t" move from place to place by
the route which offers the least re-
%sistance. After having established q
route they continue to use it. The
roads across many of the mountain
passes or into the deep canyons We're
first made by mountain sheep or deer.
The Indian on his hunting trips learn
cd these trails and made use of them
as roads in his travels: the trapper
packed his furs over them; the frontier
settler Widened them out for his wag-
on: and no infrequently h locating
engineer followed them with a rail-
way line-each in turn making and
improving Il highway that had origin
ally served some animal as an easy
route to pass from one feeding ground
to another.
a road in its earliest stages may be
considered as a sign board to show
the easiest route of travel between
points. In prairie country, these roads
indicate Il route which follows the
high lands around swamps and leads
tn stream crossings. In mountain
country, they avoid %precipitous slopes.
and lead to the more accessible pass
eS.
The load hauled over such a o is
regulated by the knowledge of the
road; the weight and amount of stock
attached are fitted to the road. Hence
in a newly settled country poor roads
are to be expected and cannot be
avoided. AS Il community improves
the road requirements change and the
o "a is built to suit the load. The
problem becomes one of constructing
IL road which will permit tho hauling
speed with a minimum motive power.
Consequently the road problem is one
of development. The game trail
through the brush answers for the
travel of the Indian; the prairie sod
broken by a log dragged from the
front wheels of Il wagon or a line of
hlazcs through the timber answers the
pioneers purposes; but the best oil
surfaced macadam road is scarcely
bile and the heavy loads of our we'll
settled and highly intensified farm
ing communities. Roads which Il few
years ago We're considered almost ev-
erlasting and good enough for any
community, are now a back number
and inadequate on account of the in
crcasinG automobile traffic. With the
steady Improvement of automobiles
and flying machines it is somewhat
difficult to tell just what demands may
be made on the road engineer by the
end of another twenty-five years.
With this association which has
met to consider rural improvement. it
would seem that it is not necessary
To consider roads in the earlier stages
OF development, as u agricultural
districts have passed that stage; Meth
er is it desirable to take up the high
er class of construction which proper
ly belongs to the highway engineer and
which Will naturally follow in any
community where there is Il demand
for them after that community has
learned the value of hard roads by the
use OF good roads. To my mind, our
problem Is to deal with the agricul-
tural communities which have arrived
at the stage of development where the
roads should ne made to suit the load
and to show these sections. if posi-
BILE. that their roads can be improved
with the money and material at hand.
In other words, We should advocate the
Improvement Of roads With the money
and material available.
Good Road Qualities
The qualities to be sought in a road
are a flat grade with a smooth. dust
less surface Of a degree of hardness to
withstand the traffic and still sufi-
lent elasticity to prevent injury to
animals and jar to vehicles when moy-
ing at ordinary speed.
The conditions to obtain these re-
quirclnents will vary with the climate
locally and funds available. In the
arid region the roads become dusty
from continuous travel; in sandy re-
gions soft from the nature of the soil,
in the alluvial areas Of the humid
region they become soft from excess
sive moisture and rough from being
Travelled While wet. AS the road ma
%terials. AIRY in each of these regions,
the road problem becomes one Of stu
dying local conditions, material avail
able and funds at hand and with
these constructing a road which will
approach as near as possible to the
ideal qualifications of a good road,
which arc the same under all condi-
tions.
In the greater number Of localities it
is not practical from a financial stand
point to secure the ideal road at once.
Where this Is true, attention should
be given to future needs such that the
work will not be entirely wasted by
other improvements. Good locations
should he selected. road beds graded
and drained that will be satisfactory
for n type of superstructure. If ii
is not possible to prepare the road
bed entirely. 1t should be done in such
q way as not to increase the cost OF
future improvement. A sufficient
width can be left. and the greater part
of the earth for grading taken from
one side, the other side to be com
pleted at some time in the future. Too
often, grades are thrown up or bitches
made that must be destroyed by fu.