Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1912-07-26
Earth Roads

lessor OF railway ana highway en-
cheering at w. s. CO.
bly, there have been more
speeches made and more articles
written on the subject of good roads
and various ways of building them,
and less real results accomplished
than on any other similar subject be-
fore the American people. 1t APP
pears though, and it is very encour-
aging, that some of these speeches
and writings by the good roads
cranks" are having an effect, be-
cause there is no doubt but what the
people as whole in this country are
beginning to get interested in good
roads. In some sections of the
country they are beginning to get
intensely interested as evidenced by
the fact that they are actually will
ing to pay for the building of them.
When a people get concerned enough
in thing to spend large sums of
their own money to promote that
thing it must be indeed an interest
ing proposition. There are many
sections of the country, however,
that badly need good roads, where
the people are not so intensely in
terested. They are interested in a
mild way; interested enough posi-
bly, to discuss the subject, or to lis
ten to a speech. or to read an article
Of the article is not too long), but
they are not yet interested enough
to spend their own good money in
the cause This spending of money
after all, is what accomplishes the
desired results. All good things cost
labor and money and good roads by
no means are an exception.
1t has been said by many writers
that the degree of improvement of
the roads within any nation is an &C
Curate measure of the civilization of
that nation. Surely that statement
can not be true. We of the United
States consider ourselves the most
progressive, the most up to date, in
short, the most civilized people in
the world, yet with one or two eX-
Ceptions we have the worst roads of
the world. Our roads can not equal
any nation of Importance in the
world. Our roads can not begin to
compare with those of Europe
France, for instance, which has an
area only three times as large as
the state of Washington, spends an
nually thirty-five millions of dollars
in maintenance of its roads, not
building and maintaining, but in
maintenance alone. However, it is
stated that it is not fair to compare
our roads with those of Europe be-
cause our nation is young; we have
not had time to build good roads. 1t
is also fact that many nations of
South America have far better roads
than We.
The writer believes that it is a
matter of only a few years till the
people in every section of the coun-
try will be willing to spend their
money in the cause of good roads.
Our roads will not be improved sim
ply because we happen to have worse
roads than other people, but because
it will be seen that money spent in
building good roads is money well
spent; money that will pay the larg-
est kind of dividends 1t has been
estimated by high authority that
bad roads cost the people of the state
of Washington five million dollars
annually This is equivalent to an
annual hill and mud tax Of five mil
lion dollars, which is 10 per cent in
terest of fifty million. When the
time comes when the people can be
made to realize that they are actu-
ally losing five million dollars an
nually due to bad roads, and that
by expanding fifty million, or less,
this five million can be saved the
people will not hesitate to spend the
money.
The subject of good roads is a
large one and no attempt will be
made in this article to discuss it
from an economic standpoint, nor to
explain nor suggest any of the many
ways in which good roads benefit a
community, nor to estimate how
much money a particular community
may profitably expend in improving
Its roads. But 1t is the intention of
this article to offer a few sugges-
tons as to the proper method of
building and maintaining earth roads
in certain sections of this state where
| there is considerable rainfall.
Earth roads, after ALL are the
most important of any we have, for
the reason that for a long time to
cau1a the rnilaaua ~ aorth 80 Il 81,