The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1915-07-16
WOMEN and
GOOD ROADS
Working to Improve Local
Conditions Everywhere.
CAMPAIGN Of EDUCATION.

Under the Leadership o. the Woman's
Department OF the American High
way Association The Country Women
Ar Forming croups 70 Study Local
Road Laws and Their Administration.
All owe the country women, under
the leadership Of the woman's depart
ment Of the American Highway asso-
citation, are forming groups to study
the local road laws and their admin
istratiOn, to the end that they not only
may work to improve local conditions,
but may prepare themselves to ask OF
their legislators changes in our sys-
tenn Of road management which will
make our road administration as effi-
cient as is that Of any other success
full big business"
Since the road laws vary in the diff
ferent states and sometimes even In
the different counties Of the same
state this study Of local conditions Is
q necessary preliminary to any intelli-
gent efforts to improve the local roads.
In general. however, It may be said
that conditions vary more In degree
than In kind Nearly everywhere the
students are finding road laws mod
eled after those Of England in the
days Of Queen Elizabeth. Because OF
this antiquated code the units Of ad-
ministrati0n are nearly everywhere too
small to finance economically and ef-
fectively the necessary road work.
The road ofacials are too numerous.
and Of these officials no special knowl-
edge Is required
Selected for their personal or polit-
ical Affiliations, most OF these men mel
Their know the first principles OF road
building nor appreciate the necessity
OF systematic maintenance of all roads.
Nearly everywhere, therefore, are cost
~ roads going or gone to ruin, though
the bonds issued to build them are still
"as good as new" And the earth roads
are neglected until hundreds Of thou
sands Of miles of them are impossible
for months Of the year.
In their present condition our coun-
an annual mud tax of more than IA
quarter OF a billion dollars. This is
the day Of rising prices, when, as the
pessimist says, it takes ten times as
much to get married as II did ten
years ago, and you get no more for 1t.
None should be Indifferent to an I'M
necessary addition to the high cost OF
living and loving.
While waiting the fundamental re
forms the county groups are, therefore,
working hard to improve local cOndi-
lions through better administration and
better maintenance of the roads. A
campaign Ut education IS waged, and
by tact and persuasion q ~"gentlemen's
agreement" Is sought whereby the
county roads = put In charge OF one
efficient man. Where this concentra-
ton Of money. authority and responsi-
biity II impossible Of accomplishment
the women are working for more
knowledge OF roads and more adequate
road maintenance on the part Of the
powers that be.
OfAcials are especially urged to en-
pl0y q small body Of laborers under
expert supervision. who. weather per-
hitting. work continuously upon the
roads. This II o method of road main
tenance 20 superior to the usual Gus
tom OF calling out IN army Of untrain-
ed e once or twice q year that any
community into which this French
fashion II introduced by American
women should indeed rise up and call
them blessed.
And everywhere there are earth roads
the women are preaching the split log
drag. for their studies have informed
them that the mud tax car be material
~ reduced and thousands of miles OF
earth roads made s~erviceable through
out the year by the systematic use Of
this simple implement. which almost
any man can make of materials found
on his own farm. Dragged just before
the ground freezes, some earth roads.
until the thaw comes, are as hard and
smooth as If paved with stone.
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