Charlevoix county herald., 1916-07-14

babbling brook. 1t runs on forever,
until the road is either rebuilt with
concrete or brick.
want to call your attention, when
you get outside of this building, to two
pieces of concrete road; one at the
Sodth end Of Bridge Street, opposite
the Elston House, which was put down
seven years ago, and, before you look
at 1t, want to assure you that there is
not crack, nor break, nor apparent
ly worn place in il; the other, Dixon
Avenue, which was paved five years
ago, between the Bridge and the depot.
| make the assertion, without fear Of
contradiction, that these two pieces OF
road are subject to more severe test
during the months OF either July or
August land have been ever since they
were built than the road between
Charlevoix and Boyne Falls or Charlie
voix and East Jordan would have to
bear in an entire year. On Dixon
Avenue, you will find a few cracks.
This was not the fault of the cement,
but We did not know as much about
building concrete roads five years ago
as we do now. The spaces for expan-
sion should have been down the center
and also transversely every fifty feet.
Scientific figuring is the first thing
every successful business man does in
the management of his business. The
cost is always the first thing to be
taken into consideration.
Now, what is the answer, or the re-
minder, or the reply to make to the
man who says we cannot afford con-
crete roads? The fact is, we cannot
afford anything else. Do you know
what the upkeep of a nine foot road,
such as is being built between Boyne
City and Greensky Hill, will be? Go
and look at it, see for yourself and then
Judge. Nobody has to be told that in
few, very few years this road will
have to be rebuilt and il is not the fault
of the commissioner either. II is the
fault of the State of Michigan to allow
their money to be spent in this unbusi-
ness like manner. Ii is fair sample
and compares favorably with what the
State did five years ago in sending lot
of six dollar day men TO do fifteen
million dollars worth of business
mean by this, to reassess the property
that they did not know d-n thing
about All they did know was that if
they did not. add to what the local
supervisor or assessor had assessed it
at they would lose their jobs, SO, of
course, they added to it.
Going back to the road proposition;
the plain lesson for communities having
heavy traffic is to build permanently.
1t is better to add a small annual mile
age of low maintenance roads than to
gamble with the future on less salts
factory type. 1t has already proven
costly.
Earth and gravel roads have their
place as feeders to the main highways
and for districts too sparsely populated
to finance better construction. Light
traffic does not demand more.
But where traffic is, heavy and the
community demands good roads it is
economic wisdom to build permanent
Iva blunder to build less well. For
permanence means least cost.
Another thing you Rural Messengers
can do is to urge upon your farmer
friends the advantage and the profit
that would result to each and every one
if they would plant a row of choice,
bearing apple trees the entire frontage
of their farms along the roadside; also,
to have the sides of the road levelled
and seeded down. Just imagine all the
roads in your county with two rows of
splendid apple trees and long narrow
meadow on both sides of the road.
Some farmers will work like the devil
on the back part of an old, stumpy field
among stones and brush, to get some
fodder for next winter and at the same
time neglect to cultivate the strip by
the side of the road which is already
cleared and ready for the crop.
Am talking nonsense, or is this
thought the emanation of a diseased
brain-answer me the question. Me-
thinks | hear a carrier from Emmett
County say, mot by a darn sight. +"
That's right, Mr.. Emmett, your sight is
good.