Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1916-01-08

the county. The lessons have been
of more frequent occurrence than COM
mon during closing days of 1916 be-
cause of the mild weather which left
the ground thawed much Of the time,
and this with the rains has made bad
roads, very bad roads, where there is
the least particle of clay or similar
earth.
Fortunately Berkeley county and
her West Virginia sister, Jefferson
county, have all the main thorough
fares either macadam or at least
enough crushed stone thereon to make
them passable at all seasons, the
grade alone controlling the carrying
capacity of team or tractor.
However, there are yet many by
roads which have not felt the onward
sweep of good roads, which has struck
this state at last, and from now until
about the middle of April there is
more than an even bet that the dirt
roads will be muddy and in places
well-nigh impossible good part of
the time. This ought not to be in
thriving and progressive agricultural
and orcharding community like most
of Berkeley county is, and each year
those living just off the main roads are
brought face to face with the neces-
Of ht.iY n rlr
about the country just so much as the
dirt road in the late winter and in
the spring, full of deep mud holes, will
allow. Say for instance Silas Doe has
lot of grain to market, just the ton
mage, the heaviest grade and the deep
est mud hole on the byroad leading
by his premises to the main thorough
fare will permit will be his limit.
These little things absolutely regu-
late tonnage of his draft power what
ever kind it may be.
Without complaining or criticising
any official body lin particular for
what has not been done, for these
permanent Improvements such as
stone roads-we mention stone roads
mere in particular because local con
ditions make them the cheapest at
all to build-are very expensive and
no county can have all good roads in
year or two, nor in many years, but
the condition just now at hand ought
to remove any and all objections
there have been such at times on
the part of any one in expanding for
good roads every available cent each
year.
Last year Berkeley county re-made
and made new in sections, many miles
of public roads. In some cases hard
limestone, which nature has supplied
so abundantly and conveniently, was
more literally used than others, in
the depth and width of spread, but in
every case the permanent good is rec
ognized at once. All communities nor
all parts of roads can not be reached
at once, but certainly all people Of
the county are ready now to whoop
| up the building of permanent roads,
the work to be distributed according
to the greater need and the heavier
traffic on the road, as dictated by the
Berkeley county road officials, whose
duty it is to be in a position to judge
of the work needed and where, ac-
cording to existing conditions. BY
lpersistently pursuing this plan in
few years, Berkeley county will have
II stone roads. Her roads will be so
good that there will be no choice of
location to the prospective farm buy
er because of transportation facili-
ties. Real estate values increase,
quite apace with the making of per-
manent roads, so the farmer that helps
| by his mite of taxes to make good
roads for another neighborhood this
year, may in 1917 have the same plac-
ed by his premises, perhaps by his
very door.