Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1916-08-12
READERS COLUMN
TO THE RESCUE.
rIl D:s,,n1, TNr;h,,r0
TuICUI UL CIIC. OIolIlII O1k 11fDU1HS
bismarck. North Dakota,

~
Bismarck, North Dakota.
Dear Sir: Within the last week
there has appeared in your paper sew
eral articles criticizing the county
commissioners for not placing parts
of the Red Trail in better condition
for the travelling public, and while
have no apology to offer for the coun'
ty commissioners or any of their work
during the past few years that / have
been connected with the county work
yet | feel that the road maintenance
and road construction especially IN
this county is not fully understood.
Until three years ago but very little
systematic road work had been done
in this county, but since that time the
county commissions have accomp
lished so much with the funds at their
disposal for road work that it has
reached point where every town and
every farmer feels that they should
have a graded road Roads that were
considered fairly good and passable a
few years are now considered very
bad. This is good sign and indi'
Gates an interest on the part Of the
tax payers that will eventually make
for an improvement in roads each
year.
There has not been season in a
great many years when the mainten-
ance and construction of roads has
been as expensive as this season, and
feel that the criticism leveled at the
county commissioners has been
brought about by not fully understand
ing the situation The road levy has
been all that the law will allow for
the past two years, and yet there is
hardly meeting of the county board
but that there are not petitions in for
more road construction and often a
large delegation from some part OF
the county, insisting that certain
roads be constructed this year. If the
county commissioners had at their
disposal $150,O00, it would not cover
the cost of constructing the earth
roads which are demanded to be con
structed at once by the different sec
tions of the county. Furthermore
the construction of more roads calls
for construction of more bridges, and
the petitions and requests and com
plants because more bridges are not
built are very trying to board who
are endeavoring to do their best with
the funds at their command.
Some criticism has been expressed
on account of the engine and grading
outfits being worked together this
season. / might say that l am per.
|bonally somewhat responsible for this
arrangement, as from observing the
work Of last year it was my firm con.
viction that much better work could
be accomplished by placing all the
outfits under one man, and so far
have not seen any reason for chang
ing my judgment in the matter.
We are building much better roads
than were being built last year with
these outfits, and considering the sea-
son in which we have had to work, we
have built considerably more roads
and built them cheaper. The outfits
are working under foreman, and he
has had great deal of trouble on &C
count Of help, as has everyone in
every line of work this year, yet the
work is going on as well as can be ex
pected. The roads which the com
missioners have been building in the
country have been roads that lead out
from the various shipping points into
the farming communities surrounding
and have been the roads that woult
accommodate the largest number o.
people.
The commissioners districts ir
the outfits were to work this season
were determined by lot. The north
east district happened to be number
one and the northwest district mum
Der two, and the outfits are working
in these two districts at the presen