Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1914-05-14
BOOST FOR GOOD ROADS LAW
Much Interest Shown at Meeting Held
At Bloomington, IlI.-Mahy I'm
provements Are Made.

When little country town Of 7OO
people raises $4,000 to put In con-
crete pavement around the square,
IT is sure sign that the good roads
germ is active there. This is what
the people of Mclean. In Mclean
county, ILL.,, have done. Now they
have hard pavement the year around
where before the mud was frequently
80 deep that 1t was unsafe for a man
to get out of the buggy to tie his
horse.
The good roads germ has been
working in several places in Mclean
county. Just outside of Mclean is a
strip of macadamized road that Is
still in good condition after eight
years of service. Leading southwest
from Bloomington is a stretch Of the
finest country road in the state-as-
| phalt-bound macadam. Out a little
! farther on the same road a mile or
two of water bound macadam is be-
ing put in. Next year the plan is to
lay mile Of concrete road Nor does
the effort stop with the attempt to
get satisfactory hard roads There
are drained. we'll crowned, well
dragged earth roads everywhere
roads that good care has made as per-
feet as an earth road can be.
These were some of the things that
members of the Illinois Highway I'M
prevement association and others saw
on hurried visit to Mclean county
November 30 They came on invita-
ton of Eugene Funk, member of
the state highway commission, says
the Prairie Farmer. They went away
more determined than ever to carry
the fight for improved roads to a sue
cessful finish
In a talk at the evening meeting
President Fdens of the highway i'm
provement association stated that
the association was not organized pri-
marily in the, interests of automo-
biles, but for the hest interests Of the
state as a whole.
S. f. Bradt of Dekalb county. a road
commissioner. said that his township
has put in an average of two miles
of macadam roads per year for the
past seven years. at cost Of about
81 900 a mile This money was taken
out of the regular road funds. This
year mile of concrete road was put
in. Mr.. Bradt believes that this will
prove the coming material for hard
roads, as macadam roads need repair.
ing all too frequently.
State Highway Engineer Johnson
stated that If two per cent of the
roads in Illinois were paved these
hard roads would reach all cities OF
= 1000 or more inhabitants, with posi-
ply one exception: would reach most
, of the cities of 1000 or more; and
would serve four-fifths of the through
traffic needs of the state. He advo
Gated using the automobile license
, fund to make start on such a sys
TEN.
G. S. Miller Of Alexander county
stated that the people in the southern
end Of the state want the state tt
build the main roads, this to be fol
lowed by county improvement of tn,
other roads, with perhaps some hell
the use of convict labor on the roads
and the adjustment Of two-thirds o
= the present number of highway com
missioners.
He was followed by Mr.. Donovan o
: the Highway Commissioners associa
ton. He said that the commission
ers do not wish to block all change
of the present laws, but they do wan
e fair treatment He stated that muc
MORE would be accomplished unde
the present system if the commits
S sioners had more money.
o There is probably no man in Illinoi
who knows more about the road quei
u ton than Homer C. Tice, chairman {
the legislative good roads committe,
His committee has devoted niue
: time to investigating the problel
/. from every possible angle, and is pr
pairing a very comprehensive repol
to back up the bill which 1t will Fl
troduce into the legislature. Some {
the best information received by tn
) committee was from the rural ma
IS carriers of the state. Answers to tn
r questions sent out by the committt
o