The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-21
GOOD ROADS WORKERS.

| The question of good roads is one
that is becoming a live one through
out the United States. Salt Lake
county is making an examination of
its highways by the aid of a road ex'
! pert from the u. S. Department Of
! Agriculture and is likely to call upon
the taxpayers of this city to vote bonds
amounting (more or less) TO a million
dollars for the purpose of applying the
money to the making of good roads
in this county The plan is to cover
the county well with good roads; since
| all the taxpayers Of the county are ia
be called upon TO vote the bonds and
pay them when due, and the interest
in the meantime, they must receive the
due consideration Of getting the good
roads for which they pay.
In other States, also, there is the
same movement for good roads. New
York has spent money by the tens of
millions Of dollars on good roads, And
now Pennsylvania is about TO submit to
the people of that State a proposition
TO bond the State for $50,000,000 for
good road purposes. Governor Tener
Of that State says that he will make q
tour Of all the County Fairs next fall
speaking in campaign to bring the
voters of the State TO favor the move.
ment that will affirm the bond issues
referred to, by amending the Pennsyl.
"a, L
a favorable disposition in that State
toward this proposition, especially if
all traces of political partisanship can
be eliminated from the proposition,
This ought to be done, not only in
Pennsylvania, New York, Missouri and
elsewhere, but in Salt Lake county;
and unless this is done, the bond is
sue for good roads will be in jeopardy
wherever it is submitted to the people;
for politics and good roads do not
mix. This is shown by the loss in New
York of some 40 per cent of the money
voted ostenslbly for good roads. Poll
tics and political trickery got away
with large amounts of this money.
work. Governor Major Of that State
gives out that he will issue procla
nation setting apart two DAYS in Au-
gust for working on the roads of that
State. He will call out every able-b bod
led man In the rural districts of Mis-.
sour for this two DAYS work. He an
nounces that he will take off his coat
and lead a gang of workmen himself
on State roads outside of jefferson
City. He will appear with pick and
shovel TO do his two days work with
other citizens. He estimates that 300.-
600 men will respond TO his proclama-
ton, and this, be points out, will mean
the equivalent of 100000 DAYS work.
lnasmuch as two Michigan commupi.
ties turned out some hundreds of men
to work on a twenty-five mile road
connecting the two places, and women
volunteered to serve them food and
drink for the day and the work was
complete success, this idea Of Cover.
nor Major s for Missouri ought to work
well; provided the preliminary oreani.
zatlons OF men in appropriate gangs or
companies for work on the various
roads of the State are arranged for be-
forehand
In many States. as in Utah. convicts
are employed to work on the roads. So
far in this State, this has been a sue.
cessful proposition. But one convict
has ever got away from the road
camps, and in general the convicts are
eager for the semi-hberty (yet under
the eye or guards always) that this
outdoor work provides. They willing
" pledge themselves to make no at
tempts to escape. Few attempts have
been made. and, as stated, there has
been but one who succeeded in getting
away
All of which indicates the wide in
terest that is felt in good roads work; :;
and there can be no question that as
an economic proposition this National
good roads work is the greatest trans
portation question now before the peo-
pie of the United States.