The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1914-08-15
GOOD ROADS DAY.
Last Thursday of August Set Aside
FOR Observance in Louisiana-All
Male Citizens Called Upon to
Work on Public Roads.

Work on Public Roads.
By act of the recent legislature,
the last Thursday of August OF each
year is set aside as good roads day
in Louisiana, and in accordance with
the provisions of the statute Lieut..
Gov. Thomas C. Barrett has issued
proclamation designating Aug. ~
for observance in this manner.
The proclamation recites that,
Whereas, good roads, along With
good schools and comfortable country
homes, are the long delayed answer
to the well-nigh universal cry OF
back to the farm condition
brought about by overcroWded cities
and the ever increasing high cost OF
living, each and every male citizen II.
the state is called upon to observe
Thursday, Aug. II, as Louisiana Good
Roads Day, by working on the pup
lie roads Of the parish, ward or dis
trict in which the said citizen may
reside, or such other road as may
be directed by the presidents of the
police juries.'
There is no subject attracting more
interest in the state just now, and
it is hoped the first general good
roads day in Louisiana will be OBJ
served in a manner which will give
encoura cement to the spreading
cause.
The main obstacle Ito highway
building has been ignorance, and this
is disappearing so fast that rapid
;y,s oil
In order that mistaken zeal may not
do more harm than good, w. E. At
kinson, state highway engineer, has
issued a circular giving instructions
to make the pioneer state day as
effective as possible
The highway department appeals to
the various communities to give the
day an honest, earnest trial. He sug-
gests that each place Or parish or
ganize by road or school districts,
and appoint the best road builder in
the neighborhood as road boss" for
the occasion, then turn out and work
Loyalty under his direction. The de-
partment volunteers to furnish any
information that will tend to make
the event greater success. 1t al
so has sent broadcast plans and
specifications which will enable any
body with even small carpentry skill
to construct plank and split-log
drags. These will not only enable
the construction of smoother roads,
but if used regularly, especially af-
ter rains, will keep the roads in
good order and do away with much
of the dust nuisanceS,
The department has issued a Sc
ries of brief rules as to what to
90 and what not to do, which will
make the work On good roads day
more efficacious, besides being a
guide for the future These are
as follows:
What Not to Do.
Do not try to do too much.
Do not start more than you can
finish. You cannot build very long
stretches of roads in one day.
Do not place gravel on roads that
have not been properly graded and
drained.
| Do not grade roads that have not
been properly staked out on correct
lines.
road and leave them impossible.
Do not scrape sods Or the travel
ed roadway and leave them for pass
ing vehicles to smooth down.
What May be Done.
Drain the road.
Clear and widen the right of way
| where too narrow.
Remove logs, stumps, stones, brush
and weeds from roadway
Fill holes and washes with good
earth
Apply bermuda sods to embank-
ments; cover sand stretches of road
with three or four inches of good
clay, and mix by narrowing and
dragging.
Cover clay stretches of road with
four Or five inches of sand and mix
by blowing, narrowing and dragging.
Should there be natural mixture
of sand and clay, Or any other good
road material at hand, haul this and
apply to bad stretches of road.
Culverts and bridges may be re-
paired or reconstructed.
Construct road drags (of planks OR
logs) and arrange for their use after
all rains throughout the season.