Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1914-11-26
GOOD ROADS MOVEMENT.

Der 21.-From the many inquiries re
ceived at the State Road Bureau it is
evident that our new statute, passed
in 1918, relative to roads and bridges,
has not received the careful study and
understanding to which it is entitled.
Doubtless realizing this state of af-
fairs, the Point Pleasant Register
carried the new law in the form of
continued article, beginning early in
the fall and devoting column or two
each week. In addition the State
Road Bureau published the law in the
fern of bulletin and copy of the
same can be procured by any resident
Of West Virginia upon application. An
organized movement for better roads
rests primarily upon thorough UNI
derstanding of this statute.
The following bulletins, written by
those connected with the State Road
Bureau, have just been received from
the printer: No. II, Standard Con-
tracts and Specifications for Grading.
No. 10, Standard Contracts and Speci-
!, fications for Waterbound and Bitumi-
nous Macadam Roads. No. Ia, Stan
dard Contracts and Specifications for
One and Two-Course Concrete Roads.
In addition to the foregoing, No.
| Is, Standard Contracts and Specifica-
tions for Brick Roads, will be received
in the course of a few days. These
bulletins are intended for the use of
members of the county courts
throughout West Virginia, who will
be enabled to enter into a contract,
relative to any particular phase of
road building, without the necessity
of having the same drafted by an at
torney. In addition, the specifica-
tons are made out in blank so that
the commissioners are required to fill
in only the name of the contracting
firm, thus eliminating the long delays
heretofore experienced. Any or all Of
the above bulletins can be procured
free of cost by any resident of this
state.
Concrete Roads" for November
contains review of the recent devel-
opments in roc building in Roane
county. The writer points out the
particular need Of good roads into
Spencer in view of the fact that this
town is the terminus of the only rail-
road coming into the county. 1t is
further stated:
Information from various anthem
tic sources including officials of both
city and county, oil well contractors
and contracting teamsters show that
one pair of horses would haul $500
pounds eight miles as an average
days work. Often detours Of four or
five miles were necessary, reducing
the effective distance to about three
miles per day
Stuck in the mud seems to have
been the history of teaming ever since
the region was settled and to remedy
this recently two miles Of concrete
road were authorized and in raising
funds for this work about one-ffth of
the total cost of construction was
contributed by farmers and other
interested parties along or near the
routes, all in the form of donations.
Offers of $1,000 per mile for every
mile of road that goes toward my
farm are heard at nearly every meet
ing of the County Court.
"The people of this section can truly
be said to have entered earnestly into
the movement to lift West Virginia
out of the mud.
Road supervisors and engineers
should see that bitches and drains are
cleaned and opened for winter drain
age.
This is the season of the year that
calls for the use Of the split-log drag.
Why not drag the road after every
rain? 1t will do away with the mud
and give US a good road all winter.
One hour spent in opening a ditch
will be of more service than weeks
criticism of the road officials.
Agriculture is the keynote of our
success, but the pier upon which this
note rests is the road between the
farmer and the market. Good roads,
good schools, good farms, happy
homes and prosperity, as opposed to
impoverished communities, discon-
tented families and general depres-
sion. Which will you choose?