The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1913-02-07
William j. Grove on Good
Roads


Mr.. William J. Grove, the President
Of the NJ. J. Lime Company, OF Lime
Kiln. this county, and an expert on road
building, in a communication to The
CITIZEN, from Hot Springs, Arkansas,
speaks of an interview that he had with
Mr.. O. f. Weller, Chairman of the
State Good Road Commission, relative
to the road conditions in Frederick
county. The letter reads as follows:
Hot STRINGS, ARK, Jan. 81, 1913.
BHeSSrs EaitoyS.
81, has been my good fortune to meet
here the Chairman of our STATE Road
Commission, Mr.. O. f. Weller, and my
Judgment as road contractor and one
interested in good roads is that we have
the right man al the head of the COM
mission. | found Mr.. Weller not only
an affable gentleman, but he has'been a
most successful business man and he is
deeply Interested in road work and he is
willing to discuss the work in its various
details
His object is to build roads at reason
able cost that will meet the approval of
The taxpayers, and at the same time
stand the speed of the auto as well as
the weight OF the auto trucks He rea-
Lies that he has big proposition ahead
Of him to meet the many ideas OF the
average road builder, but by putting his
practical business knowledge behind skill
ed engineers and working force who
will be advanced by merit, aided by CO.
operation with all concerned, as we'll as
the contractor, he will be able to bring
about most satisfactory results and keep
.
I'VE then discussed road conditions in
Frederick county and gave an illusra-
ton of how difficult it was TO get any
thing done, and that for number OF
years we have made an effort to have
the Lime Kiln road, which passes my
door improved, that from fourteen to
fifteen dairy farmers. whose thrift and
energy would equal any in the State,
were compelled TO get up at O'Clock in
the morning to deliver their milk al the
station by six in the morning every day
in the year, regardless OF the weather
conditions, over this narrow, crooked,
rocky road. which was often filled with
snow, drifts for several months, and was
termed a mountain road, on a beautiful
and level section of Carrolton Manor.
| | told him by change in location and
the Strengthening OF the road these rock
breaks could be avoided and about six
hundred feet in distance would be saved,
which would mean over two miles every
day, or over eight hundred miles year
to the milk haulers. besides the saving
IN distance to the other travel.
The change in the location of the
road would only affect three land owners,
all of whom would be benefited, and
they surely would not stand in the way
of public improvement and as further
| evidence that the users of this road were
in earnest they had raised one thousand
dollars to have the road improved under
the Shoemaker Act, but our county was
not taking advantage OF that road law.
"Mr. Weller told me that he was
aware OF that fact and he was more than
surprised when he found that every
county in the State had taken advantage
OF the law except the three poor counties
of Southern Maryland, Charles, Saint
| Mary's and Calvert, and the rich county
Of Frederick. | hung my head and
blusned with shame. WHY is this? Are
we selfish or are we ueglectiuI OF our
wants?'