The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-04-13
POLK COUNTY SHOULD
HAVE BETTER ROADS

The subject of good roads is being
very much talked of these days and,
while 1t may not be possible right
now for Polk county to 60 into the
building of high class permanent
roads 1t does seem that it is highly
necessary to build some roads even
If they are only to serve temporar-
lily until the permanent road build
ing can be provided for. If We can
not have good roads, by which we
ordinarily mean permanent roads
requiring little or no maintenance,
We surely ought to be able to have
better roads than we now have.
The county commissioners have be-
come greatly discouraged with the
results of the clay roads which have
recently been built, some of which,
thought to be excellent at the time,
are beginning to show unsatisfac-
tory results; for instance that part
of the road recently completed be-
tween Barlow and Lakeland is al
ready beginning to show signs of
disintegration and the necessity of
prompt and constant expense in
maintenance. Anyone ridig over this
road today can see the binder being
torn loose and scattered to the four
winds of heaven by every automo-
bile which travels over the road.
The cost of this material is heavy,
even the freight charges for haul
ing the clay from the pit having
cost the county nearly one thousand
dollars per mile. A suggestion,
therefore, comes to the county com
missi0ners at this time in an article
appearing in this weeks ISSUE of the
Florida Grower, in which reference
is made to communication from a
Mr.. Robert Day, of Tampa, on the
subject of good roads for Florida
Mr.. Day claims that our sand roads
can be made good for automobile
travel, hauling and walking, dust
free, mud free, and free of ruts and
chuck holes, at a very small expense,
by using the native material, sand
and oil, just the natural dirt of the
road and crude oil. at cost of $50
per mile, which, he says, is made as
follows: Round up the road with a
grading machine, sprinkle it with
heavy oil, 70 barrels to the mile,
costing $l.30 each barrel Of AZ gal
Ions. Cover the oil with two inches
of the natural sand or dirt, using
the grading machine and roll until
hard, Seventy barrels Of oil at $1.3O
a barrel is S9l per mile. and you
have a good road to travel. The oil
can be applied cold by means of
wagon tanks. The oil ilows through
a faucet in the rear of the tank into
a wooden trough nine feet long
twelve inches wide and eighteen
inches deep, witr half-inch holes in
the bottom of the trough every four
inches to scatter the oil on the road
There are hundreds of miles of this
very kind of road, rendering good
service, in many parts OF California
and, granted that this road is not a
permanent road. it is nevertheless
true that its original cost is so low
and the cost of maintenance so reas.
enable that in view of the fact that
we need roads now ii would seen
that our county commissioner:
would be justified in making an ex,
pertinent on these lines, for the only
additional cost to the grading is tn,
oil and tho rolling. One of our citi
Zens has offered to contribute tn,
oil for a city block, now in very baC
condition, if the city will build tn,
grade, put in the oil and run tn
roller over it. This is not exper
work but something which any roa,
man can easily and Intelligent
take care Of. The city is perfectl
safe in the knowledge that if no
thoroughly satisfactory as to perma
nanca the result will be a hatta