Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-08-27
BUILDING GOOD ROADS.


The extent to which the American
people have turned their attention to
the question of building good roads is
probably appreciated by only few.
1t was only few years back that
the present good roads movement was
started, and for time it was rather
uphill work to convince the general
public that public highway improve
ments were being neglected and seri-
GUS losses, to say nothing of endless
inconvenience, were thereby being
incurred. Today, on the other hand,
little argument is needed to stir the
people of any section to need of good
roads, and all over this country there
has been aroused a spirit Of COM
mendable competition to have the
roads of one state, or section, equal
or excel the roads of neighborine
states and sections.
And the people everywhere are
pushing this work of road improve
ment with real zeal and enterprise,
and also with much courageous COM
mon sense. They recognize the fact
that a good road costs a good deal
of money, and that it is useless to
wait for plans to shift the outlay up
on somebody else. They are also con-
vinced that well-built highways are
one of the best paying investments.
Later on they will, with equal cour-
age, look to the necessity of keeping
up good roads after they are obtained
In the past the care of roads in this
country has been a sort of comic OPP
era performance for which taxpayers
spent plenty of money, and in which
they generally participated with a
few days of sham labor each year.
They took an easy view of working
the roads" because they knew it to
be a fiction. When they figured on
the first cost of thoroughly made
road they gave it up as something
hardly to be hoped for before the mil
lennium.
Nevertheless, in forty-eight states,
an unprecedented activity prevails in
road building, and many counties of
small population and wealth are vot-
ing liberal amounts to improve roads
that have been waiting for grading
crews and stone crushers for hun
ired years and more. Long continen-
tai lines, from east to west and north |
to south, are received with enthusi-
asm, and lateral branches to join
them multiply on all sides. As has
been frequently remarked, the Ro-
mans knew how to build roads that
would last and were not afraid of
the work and expense, though money
was scarce and hard to borrow 1000
years ago. A good road need not be
IN Appian way, but in order to en-
lure it must be constructed on sound
and not illustrate a penny
wise and pound foolish policy. The
dea must also be dismissed that
somebody outside will relieve a com
nunity from paying its full share of
he cost of permanent highways.
Road improvement in this country
las ceased to be travesty, a pinch
,eck system of how not to do it. On
he other hand, the people everywhere
IRE taxing themselves to the limit to
eeure permanent good roads, con-
inced that this is a paying invest
nent and that lasting advantages will
e secured in this manner. And at
he rate of progress already made in
his work. it will be only a few years
efore this country in spite of its
asst area. will have a system of good
Dads that will be the envy of all 9th
r nations. and viii also be of i'm
tense practical value and advantage
3, A. ,,,o,.lo of tb,s Land