The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-02
NORMAN COUNTY
DECIDES TO HAVE
GOOD HIGHWAYS

Journal: Norman county, one OIL INC
Red river valley group, very recently
adopted a new policy of road building,
d policy that is to put the county
among the progrcSslVes IN rural trans
| pOrtatiOn.
This policy, however, was not adopt,
ed without a struggle. The old idea
of building roads piecemeal, a stretch
here and Il stretch there, over the coun-
ty. prevailed. The county commissioners
from one section was not going to let
the county commissioner from any
other. section have more roads money
to spend thar he could have himself.
SO 1t was a generally understood thing
that the roads fund should be divided
up, each commissioner getting a share
for his part of the county. The result
was Just roads, hardly what could be
called good roads or permanent roads.
The Old Way Was Futile.
Several progressive citizens at last
got the notion that this kind of thing
was not getting the county anywhere
as to real roads. 1t was proving a
double tax on the pcople-frst, a tax
tax on the men who used the roads be-
cause they could not haul their prod
ucts over the kind of roads provided
at a minimum of expense. Here was a
waste from which all the people suffer-
ed. 1t must stop.
Education was the first thing requlr-
ed. So a campaign of education was
begun. a meeting was called to be
held in Ada. the county seat, early last
fall. Appeal was made to the state
highway commission to send Il good
roads missionary to the meeting to tell
the people what to do. The commission
sent on C. A.. Forbes, a Scotchnan with
a sense of humor and tcnacity Of pur-
pose, the kind of a man who keeps peo-
pie in a good humor and yet gets things
done. Mr.. Forbes met the Norman
county board of commissioners and
urged it's members to adopt the suGges-
tions of the highway commission as to
~ II ode fr,, htJi11 n " nm a GTQfH1O nf
good roads. The board was open-mind-
ed. but the backing of the people was
needed.
An Appeal to tho People.
public meeting was called, to be held
in the Opcrahouse at Ada. To this all
township officers road supervisors and
county officials were invited. The spe-
cially and the generally invited came
out in large numbers. Mr.. Forbes was
on hand again. He presented the mer-l
its of the Dunn law as a means or
building up a system of permanent
highways. To emphasize his talk ne
gave a series Of lantern slides showing
Minnesota roads in contrast with those
of older states and of old world coun-
tries. He presented also hgureS sh0W-l
ing the cost of hauling over good roads
on the one hand and over bad roads on
the other. |
The kind of talk given began to make
an impression. The people began to see
that the were not getting the worth |
of their money under the prevailing
system of parceling out road funds forI
bits Of road here and there in the
county. These ideas were allowed to
soak in, and before long the county |
commissioners began to hear from the
people.
Old-Time Rivalry Gives Way.
There had been much rivalry for al
long time over the location of state
roads. AS a result several such roads,
had been designated, though little or
- .r~r1- I@l 1-a, dana m thnCo 1Tn-I
der the Dunn law it was necessary TO
| get together and designate one or two
state roads, the selection to have the
Endorsement of the state highway com
mission. The people, taking to heart
the talks they had heard, began to ask
the county board to get down to brass
tacks," designate roads that would
have the approval of the commission,
and then do something:
This meant that the time was ripe to
decide on a policy: The time had com
was called. This was hel2 about the
middle of February in Ada. Township
! officers. from every township in the
county met at the courthouse IN Ada
followed by another by F.. T. Marshall,
county agricultural agent from Ira
verse county. This was followed by a
banquet given by the Ada Good Roacs
club and the Ada commercial club.
Here the things that had been said by
Mr.. Forbes and Mr., Marshall were Sc
conded by many. There, vas nQthins
! cept the sentiment that had been Great
ed, abandon the old system of piecemeai
road building for a new one, declare
for the building of connected stretches
Of permanent roads. This was. done.
$50, 600 for the Years Work.
The result is that Norman county iR
! this year to spend not far from 100000
on two newly designated state hlgi~
ways. These roads traverse the county
Err,, aust 4 n FOG NJ from norm re-
! south, interseCtinG at Ada. OF course,
$4,000 will not build these roads en-
tire. Only a part of them can be built
this year. But it is, expected that
something like eight miles OF each road
will be completed before the year is
done. Work viii tie started soon, the
county board having called Il mectihg'
to open bid for construction, on March
The roads beina trunk lines, giving
access to the main market and buSl-
ness center of the county, Will be used
by larger numbers than any other
roads in the county. The quality of
the roads, oncc these are finished, ~
expected to do much to Increase the
demand for the extension of such roads
throughout the county: Consequently,
another year will see a continuance OF
the same policy, The trunk lines Will
finished, laterals will be improved in
the same manner. Year by year the
good roads system will be extended un-
til the whole county Will be gr1dlroncd
with modern highways.
The work will be done under the sup
ervision of a competent engineer en-
ployed by the highway commission.
How the Fund is Made Up.
The fund to be expended by Norman
county is made up from county and
state funds. According to the Dunn
law, a county having an assessed valu-
alton of betwecn $4,000, 900 and $1O,-
600, 900 may have $500 of state aid tor
every $500 provided by the county FOR
the building and maintenance OF good
roads-Wlthin certain limits, of course
AS Norman county is setting aside
about 5000, therefore,, the state viii
add to this something less than $4,000,
and the total fund will enable the coun-
ty to make a good beginning on a sys-
tenn Of permanent highways. a
Progressive Spirit Did 1t.
When one gets up in Norman county
he hears several names mentioned as
those of the men who have promoted
the movement. These include Sam"
Olson. president If tie Ada commercial
club. Jason Weathc rhead, 3. A. Bray,
Claude Wentsel, agriculturist of the
Ada high school. But these men say
that the real thing that brought the
change was just the progressive spirit
/ of the people. The people merely had
to have the problem presented in the
right way, in order to take hold and
put the plan through. They have come
10 see that good roads are an asset, en-
4 HANGING the value of their farms by
minimizing the cost of transportation
and by bringing town and country,
home and church and school,, into CLOS