Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1913-03-20
THE MATTER OF GOOD
ROADS BY The COUNTY
HIGHWAY COMMISSIONER

Our legislature in 1911 passed a
law which says We have got to bui Id
coed roacs. The law dogs not say
YOU have got to build good roads or
your town, but it imposes a comfy
and state tax ON you for good roads
SO yea are building good roads some
whether you wish to do so or not
The state stands ready to hand all
this state tax for roads and bridgs
back to the counties and towns on the
following conditions:
1st, the town must raise not less
than $400 for improving some part of
the county system OF prospective
state highway The county must
give $500
md, the state reserves the right
to say how the improvements shall be
made: not what kind Of improvement
or in other words, the voters should
designate in their resolution wheth
er they want their roads graded up
(Which includes draining, cuts, fills,
and culyerts) or if they want grad
ing and srrfaci1g (slrrfacing means
to surface the middle of the road from
nine to eighteen feet wide with gray
ell crushed rock or something E.
qually as coed, not less than nine
inches loose depth).
Bird, The state reserves the right
to have several inspectors going thru
the state Watching the work, giving
advice where it is needed, and to see
that their motto of lone dollars worth
Of road for every dollar spent" is
carried out.
On these conditions the state will
give $4O0 or SO 1-3 per cent for i'm
proving the state highway system.
State aid for bridges are ON simi Lar
conditions The state reserves the
right to furnish the plans and scien-
tifically direct the construction OF
adj bridges where state aid is grant
ed.
The towns may vote not less than
$3.50 for bridges; the county must
give an equal amount; the state will
give one-half as much as the town
CIR 20 per cent. The total may be
used for one or more bridges measur,
ing in the clear waterway, over 6
feet.
We have been building our own
roads in our own way for such
long time that when our lawmakers
made this law we rather felt like
telling them to mind their own bust
ness, and not to com" around and
show us anything about making roads
We felt that VIE knew about all there
was to know, and let me say right
here, that We did know enough about
road building so that We could have
taken care of the road problem, but
we would not take hold of this pro-
blem.
Under the old law what was every
body's business and what. is every
body's business is nobody's business.
The town board of Supervisors are
elected for only one year, and are IN
almost full control of the building
and repair of roads and bridges and
must try to make a show with the
money allowed them by the tax-pay-
ers for roads. | dare to say that II
three of the best road builders in the
state We're elected as a town board
in some of our towns and given
large sum of money to build roads
with. they would not stand a ghost
of a show to get elected the second
year, because some Of the taxpayers
would talk something like this: They
are doing too much puttering. They
are too particular. We can't stand
the cost. That isn't the way old
Mr.. So and So built roads"
Our lawmakers must have found
out all about those conditions and
then commenced to but-in, and they
are the greatest butinsky set of
men that we have got to deal with.
They are always butting into some
thing. Just stop and think how they
have been butting i'm on poor schools,
unsanitary conditions of poor houses,
insane asylums, hotels, butcher shops
food stuffs, and lot of other things.
And just about the time We get used
to their butting-in on one thing, they
butt-in on something else.