Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1915-11-12
few REMARKS ON GOOD roads,


JOHN WELLER, SENT TO STILL
WATER FROM HERE, READS
PAPER BEFORE CIRCLE
Prison Mirror ~: This is subject
that should receive more consideration
throughout the country than 1t really
does. A good deal Of talking is done
about good roads and that 9 about all.
Discussions are held daily throughout
the country whenever few politicians
come together, that the government
should build the roads and should take
care Of them, the same as the govern
ments Of Europe do. The theory and
practice Of road building, and its bene.
fits, have been handed down from gen
Grafton to generation in most European
countries. From their youth up the
men who were responsible for the build.
ing of their country's roads acquired
the knowledge and the spirit that en-
abled them to carry on the work OF
their forefathers. And those of YOU
who have been in Europe, have travel
ed perhaps, on foot, from one city to
another, or, have had glimpse out of
car window as the train rushed by,
will agree with me when I say that
they have good roads in every COM
munity there. The reason is that all
the roads are built by the government,
and overseers appointed by the govern
ment, for the purpose Of their upkeep
The overseer is appointed for long
period, and is required to Keep his sec.
ton Of roads in first class condition all
the time; if not, someone else will get
his job.
Of course, you know there is big
difference in building roads. The ques-
ton today is: why are the roads in this
country in such poor condition.
The answer is easy. In towns, vii
lagos and country, the people are al
lowed to work off their taxation on
roads, and on certain days set by the
road commissioner, the taxpayers come
together at certain section, patch up
the bad breaks, and level other parts
that need it, but the first heavy rain
that comes along makes the road worse
than it was in the first place. How
can these roads be kept in condition
when there is nothing there but sand
and mud? No real foundation what
ever. A good road must have foun-
dation.
All roads in Europe have a founda-
ton of three feet of solid rock closely
set together, on the ton of this is lev
eled foot of crushed rock-no sand
or gravel is used. When certain Sec
ton is finished, heavy iron rollers go
over this section for several weeks
without stopping, no traffic is allowed
there until the road is finished, and
when it is finished heavy load can
be taken over that road, and narrow
wheel tires will not even leave the
tracks Of the wheel.
I have seen in one of our papers how
the Minnesota State Highway Com
mission has announced the building of
10000 miles Of good roads in the next
ten years. The method of construction
is as follows. The roadoad OF earth,
sand and clay is to be built up to a
grade and rounded on the ton forming
the arc of circle with the crown on
a twenty foot road. ten inches above
the edges, on this foundation, layer
of gravel is to be applied, eight inches
thick in the center, and tapering off to
nothing at the sides. The cost Of build
ing roads as outlined here, will aver
age about $4,000 per mile. But, no
matter how much gravel you put on a
road, the iron shoes of the horses will
loosen the fine dust on the roadbed,
the narrow iron tires Of heavily laden
wagons will further separate this dust
from the road s foundation, and, as a
result the roads will soon be full of
holes. Along comes a heavily laden
wagon with narrow tires that break
through the hard upper crust, and thus
the good road will be in lair way
to rapid destruction.
Good roads invite immigration to
any country, but bad roads do not in
wife the immigrants to any place no
matter how good the place is. To
market his crops the farmer needs
good roads, and the city man needs
good roads in order to extend his bust
ness. The farmer needs the city man,
and the city man needs the farmer.
The success of one means the success
of the other. You will never find a
single, thriving, hustling city in an
agricultural community where the
FARMS are run down. poor roads, weeds
growing up along it's sidewalks, and
empty store buildings staring in your
face. Good roads mean better schools.
Can you imagine the agony Of a
mother when she has to awaken her
little children and send them through
snow or rain and mud, and their little
feet are compelled to wade through
long lines Of liquid morass called a
road, to schoolhouse, there to shiver
all day with wet feet.
If the child of today is to grow in
to manhood with strength and charac-
ter he must have the opportunity to
attend school. There is nothing which
hurts the people more or keeps them
back more than bad roads. And there
is nothing that a man can think Of
that will do more to help the people
than good roads, easy to travel, over
which it is pleasure to 60 homeward,
and churchward and schoolward and
thereby avoid many cuss-words, caused
by bad roads.
tsTEsn3, nrmrn00Hr n1r1111r