The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1912-03-05
OBJECTS TO ROAD
REPAIRING METHODS
Correspondent Complains Of
Work Done Last Fall.
TO the Editor:

To the Editor:-
1t is time the citizels Of Morris.
county pa .uore attention to the
selection of the board of freeholders.
1t is simply scandalous the way our
present board are spending the public
moneys | refer particularly to the
work done in the extreme southern
end of the county last fall on the
Valley road from the river bridge at
Berkeley Heights to the river bridge
at Millington. If I am properly in
! formed, this work was to cost about
nine or ten thousand dollars. In the
First place, the road was allowed 10
go al summer in a horrible condition
ana Just before winter set in the
work was commenced, the road bed
was resurfaced, rolled and about one
inch of cracked stone screenings
spread over the surface, this was
oiled and rolled again. | will admit
chat IN few instances there was a
] iltlie lncn stone used on the road at
The east end, but only in very
limited quantity. With the heavy
automobile traffic that this road is
subjected to, one inch OF stone is of
no use whatever, in fact it is entirely
gone IN some places, being rutted up
and in just as bad condition as it
was iasl summer, and if this is the
case now even before the frost is
entirely out what will it be the lat
Ter part of this month when the frost
all comes out? In other words the
one thousand dollars appropriated for
this work is practically wasted.
Three good, level-headed, practical
men with experience in road build
ing at the head of our county affairs.
| each with a salary sufficient to en-
able him to make that his business
exclusively, and divide the county be-
tween the three, would seem to me a
much more economical plan than The
present one. | don't doubt but that
The present board of freeholders are
doing the best they can, but they are
men with other affairs and the free
holders duties are a secondary mat
ter or side issue, and any business
man will verify me when | say that
a business conducted on that prin-
eiple cannot be a success. Nowadays
q successful business must be looked
| after very carefully and the man at
the head of it has got to be on the
JoD. A short piece of road built in
practical manner to stand heavy
erafflc of automobiles and vehicles
Is what we should make instead of
Trying to stretch it over long strip
oi road with small ameant of money
expended, necessitating the work to
De done over again the next season.
FROM the experience we have had
with Amiesite roads it seems to me
that makes the best and most perma-
nent job. Although it may cost more
on the start to build roads of Amie-
| site 1t is in my estimation much
| cheaper in the end and then we are
| having good roads to travel on.
| From an interested property owner.
I'VE are informed that the money
expended as above stated came from
the state automobile department and
was spent under the direction of the
state department. The freeholders
simply acting under the supervision
OF the department, and should there
fore, not be charged with this bao
piece of work. The conclusions of
our correspondent, however, are cor
rect, this class of work never being
satisfactory Ed