Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-03-12


factory manner. Some very good
work has been done with them in
Christian county. But the trouble
ha1 been that there are so many
roads and so few graders that it has
been impossible to keep the roads in
condition with them. While these
graders, | am told, are not unreason-
ably expensive. when you consider
that the split log drag will do almost
as good work on dirt roads as the
grader, then they are expensive and
their use will finally be discontinued.
The average road in my section of
the county has been graded about
once in two years-a help of course,
but by no means sufficient to keep a
dirt road in good condition. By the
regular use of the drag these dirt
roads can be kept in splendid condi-
ton the whole year round at no cost
to the county and at but small out
lay to the farmer. But here is the
objection to the use of the drag that
you hear the farmer make, "Why
should | pay taxes to have roads and
then make them at my own ex-
pense?"c "As long as | keep. up the
roads with the drag, will the county
build me a pike?" There you are!
The farmer wants pike, and not a
dirt road, and he is right. The stick
and daub chimney and dirt road were
all right when Daniel Boone made
his first trip to Kentucky, but now
it is different and the natives want
better things, and they are going to
have them.
The split log drag as well as the
grader lays a fine foundation for a
pike, but when you have said that,
you are about at your rows end.
Personally the dirt road does not APP
peal to me. Any people who make
themselves contented with dirt roads
are in a fair way to lapse into a
state of Indulgence, ignorance and DIES
pair. This is the age for road MAX
ing along substantial lines, not here
alone but everywhere.
Is Christian county to be content
ed with well graded and dragged
roads, punk little stretches of patch
work pike, while other sections of
the country are building excellent
macadam roads and talking about
making concrete ones? think not.
We will at least build certain num-
Der of miles of real pikelevery year,
in addition to the free work put on
the highways by the farmers with
their drags.
The main use of grader, it APP
pears to me, is in connection with
actual pike construction. Its princi-
pal abuse is permitting it to rust out
beside the highway, or using it to
grade dirt roads that should be
graded with the split log drag.
Actual pike construction, and how
are we to go about building pixies in
this big county with $4,000 a year
as road fund; $4,000 year is a
small sum of money, to be sure, fol-
expensive work like pike building in
county the size of Christian. But
| venture TO say that this sum OF
money spent on the roads in bust
ness-like way will do substantial
things. There are ways and means
of adding to this amount without in,
creased taxation.
A bill before the present Legisla
ton has for its purpose an appropri
alton for road building. The Federal
Government has already made an
appropriation of half a million dol
lars and there is bill pending now
for an immense appropriation. This
federal aid can be obtained for
Christian county if real interest is
manifested, backed up by some work