Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1916-02-10
CONCRETE ROADS
DICKINSON COULD HAVE BEST
ROADS IN STATE WITH
$4,000 AVAILABLE
Macadamized Rural Roads Have One
Advantage to Every Objection
able Feature-Best Odds
That Could BE Desired

Editor Reflector: Our good road
boosters have taken one commenda
BILE step towards permanent paved
| country roads. The townships have
available money for this purpose
and why not spend 1t wisely. Neces
sary automobile road working ma
| terial lately has been purchased by
the county and now is the oppor'
tune time for road builders to take
another step forward. Offsettins
every Objectionable feature of paw.
ed country roads there are two ad
vantages. Two to one. what better
odds are wanted.
Dickinson with an assessed valu-
alton, the past fiscal year, of $46,-
176,246, and g mill levy for the
I'll miles of county roads had $13,-
l852.S7 available for grading and
maintenance of these roads alone
for statistics show that the fund
from automobile licenses, which to-
tailed approximately $4,000 in this
county last year, will pay for the
dragging of every mile Of county
roads in the county thirty times a
year, which is considerably more
times than they are dragged an
nually now. 81 per mile is the aver
age price paid for putting in proper
shape a strip 16 feet wide. The up
keep of all bridges on the county
roads and others designated by the
commissioners is provided for in a
separate fund raised by A mill
levy and last year amounted to
|$18.470.50.
The farmers, who would be the
most benefited by concrete roads
contribute only two-thirds of the
money in the form of taxes for
building such pavements for one
third of the assessed valuation of
the county is made up by the incor-
porated cities and corporations. The
first great cost is always the bug
bear to the taxpayers but this can
be eliminated by one year establish
ing a permanent grade only, with
the sufficient available funds and
then later lay your paving. Engi-
neers have observed that the average
roads are graded on an average of
once in three years at cost of $40
a mile. Spend the additional for
permanent grades that with drain,
eliminating all future grading and
let the automobile fund to the
dragging.
The first howl will be that farm
ers in one corner of the county are
paying for concrete roads in an
other. Not so. Ninety per cent of
the money spent for roads is spent
by the townships The $14, 900 spent
by the commissioners on III miles
is only one-tenth of the money spent
for roads in Dickinson county.
$4,000 is available for roads that
Will be a blessing to the county. One
township has no county roads and
the average is six miles apiece.
Grant has 1 8 miles. In cooperation
with the county and without ne
glecting the other highways, we
could build the best system of high
ways in the state. Approaching it
from another angle. A maximum
levy of mills is allowed by law
for township road funds. This made
exactly s137,52S.73 available for
his purpose the past year, besides
he county fund.
The recent ice and hard packed
NOW was in reality as good as
pavement. Farmers were enabled to
RAUL grain to high markets and
heir bank account was swelled,
When otherwise, at this time of the
ear. they would have been greas
ne harness. as the roads have been
npassable for loaded wagons. One
dvantage of concrete paved country
ighways Road Booster.