The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1913-09-08
Council May Appoint Dele
gates Tonight to Good
Roads Congress.
COMPLAIN ABOUT LAW
Commissioners Desire 1nfOr-
nation About Modern
Road Building.

City council tonight probably will
decide to appoint three delegates to
the Good Roads Congress, which Viii
be held at Detroit the last week in
September Delegates representing
Wayne county also will be appointed
by the county commissioners. it is be-
lieved
The amended three-mile gravel road
law becomes effective the first of next
year, permitting the permanent i'm
provement of highways, and the new
county highway commissioners act
also becomes operative at that time,
consequently new era of road build
ing and road maintenance dawns IN
Wayne county in 1914.
The city is as much interested in
these changes in the road laws of the
the principal reason that it can make
use of the three-mile gravel road law
for permanent improvement of streets
Therefore, the board of works is in
terested in obtaining the best advice
obtainable on good, economical street
building The information desired,
the board members believe, can be
secured from the experts who will at
tend the Detroit meeting. With this
end in view they practically have de-
cided to send commission to the
Roads Congress.
County Wants information.
The county is even more interested
in obtaining information on modern
road building and maintenance than
the city, because the new laws which
become operative the first of January
practically revolutionize the road sys
tenn in this and other counties of the
state which have more than 200 miles
of free county gravel roads.
For the past three years there has
been general complaint AGAINST the
three-mile gravel road law as it now
stands. for it provides a costly sys-
tenn of gravel and macadam road
building with no satisfactory provis-
ions for the maintenance of such
roads. This system has greatly in
creased. the road taxes and has pro-
vided highways which remain in good
condition not more than four years,
as a general rule.
Next year it will be possible to per-
manently improve highways under
the three-mile gravel road law. That
is, it will be possible to pave them,
with brick, cement, etc, from curb to
curb or in strips, leaving the rest Of
the road unimproved.
Experts have shown that the initial
cost of such road building is but lit
tie more than the macadamiZing of
highway, such as the National road
west of the city to the township line,
while their upkeep is so insignificant
that, taken as whole, they are much
less expensive than roads not perma-
nently improved.
To Appoint Superintendent.
One of the first acts required of the
board of county commissioners next
year, to comply with new law, is to
appoint a superintendent of all free
county roads. This Official, who will
receive 81 per day and will be en-
ployed practically all the time, will
have entire charge of the maintenance
of county roads. special fund is
also created to be used by him in
keeping up the highways under his
supervision. The county's share of
the state tax on motor vehicles goes
into this fund and there is also a spe1
cial levy for it. Bridges and culverts
on such roads are also under the SUI
pervision of this superintendent
This new law assures the proper