The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-23
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Supervisor Goes Over Roads

To the Editor of The Age-Herald.
 Having just completed tour of the county during the past 40 days, if you will allow me space in your paper, will rive for the benefit of the public the condition of the roads in general.
 Considering the wet winter we have had, I find the roads in a fair condition excepting a few roads in few precincts that were not worked last year.
 These few roads referred to have been referred to the board of revenue for their consideration and will be worked in the early spring. In my travels over the county 1 find many ditches and pipes filled up with brush leaves, etc. A large per cent of this is caused by teamsters and citizens along the highways carelessly leaving Instructions to the water in the ditches.
 This in a number of instances is caused by farmers resetting fences, clearing fence rows, pruning orchards, etc, and care lessly throwing the refuse in the road ditch or with the view of burning same later, but in their hurry with their farm ing in the spring they forget it with the result that it lies until the first big rain and is then washed down and drifts or goes on to the nearest pipe and there 1t chokes the pipe and the result is it fills the ditch and overflows the roadbed
 About three years ago I had a piece published calling the reople's attention to this practice and I am glad to gay that I have noticed since then some im- provement and I feel sure that as soon as the people become educated up to the fact that it is to their interest to care for and protect the roads there will be still further improvement in this me.
 We are now using road drags, to -.eep up the dirt roads, and with the above con- ditions prevailing, we cannot make com- plete success with them, and when condi- tions are such that we can make the road drags a complete success we will have more money left to build new roads and macadamize more road.
 I am in direct charge of these drags and hope to make success of lne same, as believe that If It IS properly handled it is one of the most economical ways of keeping up dirt roads, and in viaw of ,his fact l have sent to each dragman in the Couuly u lcltcT Ol 1ilStTuctlOn us IOIlONS.
 ''In dragging roads, please observe the Use drags when there is good season in the ground; keep blades sharp ened and be sure to run in ditch when it is necessary-sometimes run twice in the same ditch. Where roadbed is good. one round is sufficient, while on bad places 1t will take two or more rounds. Carry shovel on drag and be sure to open ditches and other outlets.
 q find that some dragmen are negli- gent on this point. Do your best to make a success of dragging. | am proud of some of my dragmen; some do fine work, some not so good. I have repeatedly said that one good dragging is worth more than two sorry draggings. There are two propositions to be observed in road dragging: First, the good it does; second, the cost of it. Also ask the people along the road to keep old rails and olner ob- stsuctions out of the ditches so you can drag road
 When thetabove is observed by the drag men and the people are educated to pro- tect and care for the Jstus we shall have scored point in road builulng and main- tenance. Yours for good roads.
 J. (BOB) TAYLOR,
 Road Supervisor.
 Rirmin 2 ham. March p. I915