Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-08
DIRT ROADS ARE
C0UNTRY'S NEED
SUCH is Statement OR COVER
NOR MAJOR OF MISSOURI
BEFORE COMMITTEE

Washington, D. c., Jan. Gin the
recent hearings before the roads com
mittee an eloquent defense OF the
country dirt road was made by no less
a parsonage than Governor w.
Major Of Missouri. Governor Major
himself bears wide reputation as
road builder. Under his administra-
ton the roads of Missouri have been
vastly improved. The battle before
the committee is largely between the
advocates of the brick, macadam and
other expensive forms Of main high
ways, being advocated chiefly by as
sociations backed by automobile own
ers, and the advocates of the commer-
cial roads leading from the farms 70
the markets. Governor Major gave
some interesting observations on
these points.
These splendid traffic roads are
not the roads which mean the most
to the whole people," said Governor
Major. 1T is the dirt road represent
Ing the first leg, of the journey ovef
which moves the traffic OF the repup-
lie that serves the nation most; the
road that enables William Smith, John
Jones and James Brown to bring
more products to the railway stations
and to the first markets of the coun-
try: the roads that enable them to
double the size Of the haul, make the
transit in less time, save wear ana
tear of harness and wagons, and the
lives of the horses; the roads that
will save hundreds of thousands OF
dollars in shrinkage in the delivery OF
live stock to the markets.
"There are hundreds of men in pub
lie life who are championing the
cause of the macadam, brick, and con-
crete highways, but few men are
championing the cause Of dirt roads,
the real roads serving the people.
"As dirt roads are improved year
BY year, by process of evolution Ger
tain percentage of them will become
trunk lines and be converted into
macadam, concrete or brick roads.
This will come about when the better
ment of dirt roads has so improved
the agricultural and other commun-
tiles through which they pass that the
wealth, population and commerce
justify it.
1T will be surprising to the aver
age man, if he has had no experience
in that line, to know what the ex-
penditure of a few dollars per mile
will do upon a dirt road. What can be
done with SIS per mile, the amount
which the Shackleford bill gives as
government aid to dirt roads? asked
myself that same question before
became interested in the subject, and
made Investigations and tests. We
had two good roads days in Missouri
this year, and In response to
proclamation 100000 men worked
upon the public roads the first day
and more than that number the Sec
ond. During eight months 10000
miles Of Missouri dirt roads have
been brought up to specifications at
cost to the state of SIS per mile"
Another advocate of improved dirt
roads before the committee was l.. w.
Page, the director of the government
roads bureau.
approximately 20 per cent Of the
roads in a township, county, city or
nation will carry about 80 per cent OF
the traffic." said Mr.. Page. "The
question is to ascertain these roads.
In any form of federal aid I think that
the selection of the road should be
left almost entirely to the state
authorities. It is their business to
study the needs Of their state. They
can study them far better than the
government can go over their heads
and do it,