The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1914-11-25
For the Road Question To
Be Handled.
IS DESIGNED TO EQUAl|zE
The Burdens Of Taxation For
Roads and Help the
Poorer Sections.
BAD ROADS REFLECT BAD PLAN


other than a Statewide plan of road
making. The county as unit has
always been failure when the
State as a whole is considered. The
campaign now In progress to pro-
mote interest I'm the application of
the State-aid law to the problem Of
roads in Kentucky should meet with
hearty and general response.
Whether the State is to have its
roads improved under the existing
law depends upon the awakening of
the various counties to their oppor-
tunity.
The individuals and organizations
behind the campaign for 300 or
more members of the Jefferson
County Unit of the Kentucky Divis-
ion of the National Highways Assoc
citation should receive two applica-
tions for membership wherever they
ask for one. The Commercial Club,
the Board of Trade, the Real Estate
Board, the Builders Exchange. the
Retail Merchants and Manufacture
ers' Association, the Rotary Club,
the Engineers and Architects Club
and the Louisville Automobile Club
are represented in the movement.
The names of these bodies are suf-
ficient reference That they are
interested is sufficient proof of the
importance of promoting interest in
the State-aid plan, which must be
put in general operation or go out of
existence
Wherever there is a general sys-
TEN of good roads it is the result of
comprehensive plan. AS long as
small governmental units operate in
dependently there are good roads
provided that money is not wasted or
stolen-where there is large
amount of valuable property, and
there are bad roads in less de-
veloped sections. There is no uni
| formity in road making. and there is
little hope of development for the
less fortunate sections of the State.
In very considerable portion of
Kentucky bad roads reflect the plan
of road making which was a failure
in England more than 200 years ago.
Those sections are in some respects
very like rural England in the Sew
enteenth century. They will not be
brought up to date without good
roads and they will not secure good
roads unless the State-aid plan is put
in Statewide operation. At present
the farmers of the rural counties
counties without centers of popula-
ton other than those supported
| by the surrounding agricultural
| community-are expected to build
the roads. With the labor of their
hands and that of their teams. or by
the payment of taxes, they are eX-
pected to build and maintain roads
| for general service. Because they
do not, the values of their farms are
kept much below what the figures
would be if improved highways ira
versed the rural counties.
The State-aid plan is designed to
equalize the burdens of taxation for
roads and give the less wealthy coun-
ties an opportunity to increase their
wealth by making themselves Access
sible to travel and by reducing the
cost, and eliminating the hardships
of freight hauling and passenger
transportation within their borders.
In his address at the good roads
meeting Wednesday afternoon Presi-
dent McBryde, of the Kentucky Good
Roads Association, called attention
to the fact that to a State-aid plan
adopted 100 years ago and discontin-
ued seventy-five years ago, Kentucky
owes her best inter-county roads.
Some of those roads, notably the
Louisville and Nashville turnpike. re-
fleet at once the employment OF right
methods of road making when they
were laid down and long period OF
neglect due to the inability of the
poorer counties to keep them in con-
dition. The "Old State Pike" between
Louisville and Maysville hass been
kept up because II traverses the
wealthier counties. Owing to pecu-
liarly unfortunate conditions In JEFF
ferson county. the worst part of the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS road is, usually
the section lying within the bounda,
ries of jefferson, the richest county
In the State, but even In Jefferson
the Louisville-Maysville road has not
been allowed to 20 to pieces.
Mr.. Dunlay. speaking for the Ma
tional Highways Association. OF
which he Is assistant director gener
al, ended his address with the follow