The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-01-25
HOW IBERV|LLE DID It.

Method Followed by Our Neighbor-
ing Parish in Building Good
Roads at Small Cost.
From the interesting and forcefu1
address delivered by Hon. Charles E.
schwing of Iberyille at the good
roads conference in this city on the
7th inst, we quote the following
pithy extracts:
up TO this time Iberyille has built
two and one-half miles of zgraveled
roads below Plaquemine, three miles
above, one and one-quarter miles on
Bayou Jacob, six and a quarter miles
on Bayou Plaquemine, and about
three miles in the first ward. 1t
has done this at cost of about
S1700 a mile, and the parish finds
it the best investment it has ever
made. 1t has done this, too, with
out state aid, because it could build
a whole mile of road for about half
the cost Of constructing hale mile
with state aid, according to the
methods heretofore followed by the
engineers who drafted the specifi-
cations. A seven or eight-thousand-
dollar-a-mile road is beyond our
reach and impracticable from finaI-
cial viewpoint, if we are to build
any considerable number Of miles,
but a $1700a-mile road is an alto
gether different proposition. After
Iberville's experience it would seem
both a wise policy and sound common
sense for the state to adopt as stand
ard, for this section at least, such
roads as we have built in Iberville,
for then we shall be able to take
advantage of the state fund, and it
appears to me the best interests of
the taxpayers would be served By
an organized effort to direct the
states attention to this matter. AS
Act 40 Of 1910 reads, Iberville can
not get one cent of the tax which
it is paying into the state treasury
for the road fund, because, for
sooth, the plans of the engineers
were cast aside for what we all be-.
lieVe to be better and more
practicable arrangement. The act
says that the engineer, now called
the State Highway Commissioner,
shall Investigate and determine
the methods of road construction best
adapted to various sections of the
state and shall establish standards,
for the construction or maintenance
of state highways in the various par
ishes, giving due regard for topoga
raphy, natural conditions, character
and availability of BODYBUILDING ma
terials, but this department ct
the state government has thus Tar
utterly failed to make even the
slightest Investigation, so far as my
knowledge goes, Of the best and
most practicable method OF building
permanent roads, though / am IL
formed it has been invited to do
so. It is said some of the engineers
ridiculed the idea of building gravel
roads, holding to the view that SUCH
could not be successfully built, and
[ am just a little suspicious that it |
is bit distasteful to some OF them
TO have to acknowledge their mis-
take, no doubt made in good faith.
"The cost of gravel roads such as
we build is quite reasonable, we
think. Gravel delivered on the cars |
by j. W. Thompson is bought for
51.35 a yard. and a yard of gravel I
should run little over five feet.
At $1.35 a yard. one mile, or 1855 /
Yards, costs lis $1425.60, but this
cost is reduced to about $1.16, SO it (
IS calculated, by reason of the fact
hat the 7. and P. Railway company
las reduced the freight rate from
512 to S. per car, making the cost
If gravel to US per mile about S1225.
including freight. Ordinary freight
'harges would be about $12 a car, but
he t. and P. railway has magnani-
nously agreed to deliver gravel for
Dad building purposes at cost, or
Lbout IS a car What the company
S doing for lis it will no doubt do
Or Ascension or any other parish
through which it's line runs, because,
doubtless, it knows that good roads
make q good country and a good
ountry means good BUSINESS for rail-
Dads as we'll as for other institu-
ions.
Our experience is that it costs be-
ween $500 and $500 a mile for the
aging of the gravel, including the
uilding of bridges and ditching.
'eams and the services Of eTerseers
re donated The money for labor
as been raised in various ways, In
luding subscriptions and contri-
utions. For roads along the river
he Atchafalaga levee board has. wise
T seen fit to contribute s100 a mile, +
OF for road building, but to secure