The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-21
FIND GOOD ROADS
Kansans Inspect Hard Surfaced
Highways in Michigan.
improvements Increase Land
S25 to 500 an Acre.

The party Of Kansas road investi-
gators who spent the first three days
of this week inspecting roads in I'LL
nois, wisconsin and Michigan re-
turned to the Sunflower state on
"wednesday Every one is enthusi-
astic over the advantages. economy
and desirability of permanent roads
The party was organized by j.
Frank Smith, president and general
manager of the Kansas Good Roads
association. The purpose of the trip
was to give the Kansas men an op-
portunfty to see with their own eyes
these good roads that have been ad-
vertised so extensively, and also to
talk with the farmers and the people
generally living on or near these roads
concerning their advantages, cost on
building maintenance, etc
Wayne county, Michigan, of which
Detroit is the county seat, began
building hard surfaced roads in 1903,
following a county bond issue for So
100000. A good many farmers OPP
posed the bond issue on the ground
that it would be a burden, etc; they
did not realize the need of the roads
The bonds carried Al 900 for and 1000
against. Up to the time of voting
these bonds the county commission
ers of Wayne county had tried for a
number of years to get permission IN
der their laws to build permanent
roads Injunction suits, protests and
indignation meetings hindered and
prevented any success until after the
bonds had been voted The commits
siouers then began to build a system
of improved highways in Wayne
county, this being practically the first
concrete road built in the United
States
First Road, Too Narrow.
Their first road was 9 feet wide
with a gravel shoulder This soon
| proved a mistake, but fortunately
there was only a mile Of this road
The next experiment was 2 feet wide
| with a gravel shoulder and this also
I proved a mistake. They next raised
/ it to Is feet wide, but this too was
/ found to be too narrow and they
/ raised it to Is feet wide. OF late years
/ their roads are all 16, Is and "a feet
! wide. most of them being Is feet
/ which is found to be the most desira-
/ BILE width owing to the very heavy
| traffic over all of these roads.
| The roads proved to be so good
around Detroit that the people of Mil
/ waukee county in Wisconsin investf-
gated them thoroly and adopted the
same type of road as the standard for
4 Milwaukee county.
4 Increase Land Value.
! The general testimony of all land
! OWUGES LAGSG EOdUS was that
[ land values had increased from SIS to
/ 500 per acre on account of good
! roads The farmers living on these
/ improved roads can get their milk to
+ the city for 10 cents per can, while
4 the farmers living off these roads
I have to pay Is cents per can
| The Kansas party passed over all
4 kinds of hard surfaced roads They
I failed to see any good rock roads and
/ the best and most desirable and econ
/ onfcal under such heavy traffic was
/ either brick or concrete, while gravel,
/ oiled earth and asphafric rnacadam
I would do for lighter traffic They all
/ came back thoroly fmbued with the
/ idea that Kansas needs 365-day reads.
/ is amply able to buy them. and that
/ every county where such roads are
I contemplated should investigate the
/ different types Of roads and select the
4 kind that will be the most satisfactory
1 in the end
4 Following are the names of the
party making the trip: ]. Frank
Smith. Topeka; Henry McAfee, To-
4 peka; o. NJ WiIhite, Emporia- T. L.
II Topeka. Roy Jacques, Hiawatha. T.
Il s Jameson, Salina; VIII TownSley,
Great Bend; Senator w. F. Schoch,
Topeka. Ex-senator W. P. Lambert
son. Fairviews Geo w StansfieId. To-
peka; John Dudley, Kansas CITY
Kan; W. R. Wells. BelIevilIe; Sen
ator P B. Barr, Fort Scott; B. P
! Bartlett, Topeka