Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1917-11-16
The Awakening
Other Counties Alive To Neces.
sity of Permanent Roads.

Editorial From Grand Haven Courier.
Journal.
Public officials have always been
more or less wary Of spending the
public money in large chunks for pub.
lie improvements. They have been
afraid of the rain of criticism which
would fall on them by the watch dogs
of the public treasury should the ex-
penditures exceed figures which the
self-appointed guardians ofpublic funds
thought proper. The result has been
the tempary improvement plan. Work
which would answer the immediate
need, and leave new work for those
who came afterwards into the uncer-
tain honor of public office. Conse-
quently the public is now suffering
from its own shortsightedness, and its
willingness to be led by critics who
were either too close-fisted themselves
or merely posing as guardians of the
public funds to find favor in the eyes
of their masters, the public.
No better illustration of the folly OF
temporary public improvement is
shown, than in the policy of the past in
building streets and roads.
Some years ago Grand Haven people
had an awakening in this regard. For
years the city fathers had gone on paw
ing streets with gravel. Grand Haven
had some fine streets, some hard, well
surfaced graveled roadways, which
stood up we'll under normal team
traffic. Then came abnormally heavy
traffic, the automobiles, the heavier
drays and the streets began to lose
their fineness. Later it became neces-
sary TO tear up the streets for under
surface improvements, and the surface
could never be made to hold again.
Grand Haven's streets became mere
mud and dust, according to the whim
OF the weather. About that time the
taxpayers OF the city began to see the
light. They began to realize that for
the money which has been spent in
building streets and patching them up,
the whole city might have miles OF
permanent paving.
at is never too tate to mend" goes
the old phrase, and this worked out in
Grand Haven, as it eventually does
everywhere. To make long story
short the first bit OF paving went down
on Washington street, and the people
liked it. 1t cost more money than the
old patchy gravel street, but it was
there without mud, bearing up traffic,
and promising to be there for years to
come. Gradually the residents of other
streets began to want these permanent
streets, and the result has been the
gradual banishing Of the temporary
roadways and the adoption of the kind
which will last. There are repair bills
for the paved streets, of course, but
the repairs do not amount to general
rebuild. Grand Haven now has blocks
of good streets, most of them concrete,
which cover all parts Of the city. The
latest job was done by the city, itself,
thus saving the public further cost Of
construction.
And now Ottawa County is awaken
ing to the same truths which the peo-
pie Of Grand Haven discovered. The
members OF the road commissioners
and the members of the board OF super.
visors have been practically convinced
that it is useless to build any more
trunk lines, of temporary material.
They have seen roads Of permanent
material built in other counties, which
have seen the light, and they have dis.
covered that these roads once in, al
though the cost may be great at the
start, have stood the traffic for years.
They wondered at what they saw, and
came home convinced that hereafter
Ottawa should have nothing but per-
manent roads. The state reward for
concrete roads amounts to almost half
of the original cost, and this fact alone
should convince the road builders Of
the present and the future that the
permanent road is good investment.
There is no cause to decry the road
work already done in Ottawa county.
Some excellent roads have been built
in many parts Of the county. Ottawa
has dug herself out Of the sand and be-
come known as good roads county.
The West Michigan pike between this
city and Holland is the wonder Of the
age to motor and vehicle drivers, who
were accustomed to wallowing through
miles OF sand, and who now can make
the run in an hour. Good roads have
made us realize the wonderful advant.
ages of passable highways. Now we
want permanent surfaces which cost a
little more i'm the beginning, but which
are cheaper in the end. We are going
through an awakening process which,
had il come a number OF years ago,
xuot,ld hova m, NJ the say;noy ~ vx,urh