The Mankato free press., 1916-04-14
Representatives Of Commercial
And Auto Clubs Held An
important Meet
Bettermentof Several Highways
Taken Up;10itch Propositions
Talked Over
From Mondays Daily.

At an important meeting Of the
good roads committees of the Man.
kato Commercial and Automobile
clubs, held Saturday, plans were
adopted for seeing that the roads OF
the county are dragged, which
give promise of better roads in this
vicinity than heretofore. Under the
law, those who drag state roads are
paid seventy-five cents mile Tor
each dragging, and it is their duty to
drag whenever it is needed. On
other roads, township authorities ar
range for the dragging, designating
certain persons to do this. 1t is in
tended by County Surveyor Allison,
who attended the meeting Saturday,
to soon publish list of those whose
duty it is to drag the roads, so that
all persons having complaints can
know just whom to lay the blame to
for poor roads. The good roads COM
mittees of the two clubs have divid-
ed the roads leading into the city up,
each member taking certain road
and agreeing to look after it. If
those who do the dragging on the
road are neglectful, the member will
60 to them and see why they do not
perform their duty. If there is bad
place on the road, the member will
call it to the attention of the road
overseer and have it fixed. In this
way. anyone having complaint of any
road can complain to the committee
man having charge of the road and
the complaint will be looked to. Thus,
by this plan, there will be double
personal responsibility, first by the
man who has the contract to do the
dragging, and, second, by the COM
mittee member. The assignment of
the roads among the committee men,
bers will be announced a little later.
1t is realized that dragging at the
right time is the most important
thing to keep road in condition,
after any work on it at all has been
done.
Ditch Viewers Before Committee.
The viewers on the proposed ju-
dicial ditch to drain the lower half of
Eagle Lake and about 1000 acres of
wet land, G. E. Whitney of Maple
ton, H M Green of Lake Crystal, and
George Barnard of Good Thunder,
appeared before the committees and
suggested that the clubs contribute
$500 toward the cost of the drainage,
on the ground that the Madison Lake
road would be much benefited by the
ditch. The project is large one, and
expensive, involving an estimated
cost of about $4,000, and the esti-
mated benefits are not very much
in excess of the estimated cost,
and as there is much opposition
on the part of some of the
farmers to be assessed, it was thought
by the viewers that contribution
by the clubs would aid in getting the
project through. 1t was explained
that the level of the north part of the
lake is to be maintained by placing
a dam under the Great Western rail-
way track, where it crosses the lake
The ditch would drain the Madison
Lake road near the school house and
near Charles Schwarble's, but as the
ground this side of the school house
slopes toward Mankato, the road this
side of the school house, except for
eighty rods, cannot be drained into
the ditch.
The committees talked the matter
over thoroughly and finally came to
the decision that the project was not
one that they could invest money in
directly, but it was voted to give it
the moral support of the committees,
and NJ. D. Fritz, Chris Steiner and
John Nyquist were appointed COM
mittee to appear at the hearing, which
will be in about five weeks, before
Judge Comstock
Another Ditch Project.
1t developed that there is also
another ditch project well under way,
for the draining of Mud Lake, near
Lake Madison, the Robinson slough,
on the Madison Lake road, and much
other low land, and that this will
benefit the road much more than the
judicial ditch will. If any assistance
were to be given on these two drain
age projects, it would have to be on
behalf of the road and not with the
idea of cutting down private assess
ments. Such assistance, therefore,
would have to be given through the
townships that will be assessed for
the improvement to the roads.
The committees voted to ratify
promises made by Chairman Nyuuist
of the Automobile clubs committee
of 500 aid toward hauling gravel
upon the Eagle Lake road, 5000 to-
ward graveling the Oshawa road, and
a little aid toward graveling a cross
road just outside of the city limits
on the east.
Mr. Allison brought up the matter
of overhead crossing of the Chicago
and North Western track on the Lake
Washington road, and it was very
much favored. He will prepare an
estimate on the amount of grading
needed, and the same committee as
was appointed on the ditch matter
was asked to bring the matter to the
attention of the county board, with
the request that an overhead cross
ing be ordered, as it is one of the
most dangerous places in the county.
Theodore Just and F. M. Currier
were appointed a special committee
to bring about the improving of the
short road that runs from the Gar
den City road to Minneopa state
park. The improvement of this road
this spring was last fall promised by
Chairman Roberts of the South Bend