Milford chronicle., 1918-03-01

preSent-eXceptlng Wnere farmer
has filled a hole along the front of his
property. This is the competent"
road overseeing which the Hawkins
Valiant combination gave to Shawnee
district in the First Representative
/ District of Sussex County.
The time to work the highways is
from March to June, and not from
October to Christmas, as has been done
recently. The plowing and scraping
as done last year has created nui-
sance, instead of useful roads, and
above all it is a waste of money. PlOw
roads late in March, April or May, and
they will after working into shape,
settle into solid roadbeds for the fol-
lowing winter, and be useful for the
hauling of thousands of loads of farm
crops to the canneries, town markets
and railroad stations.
The only road work required upon
a road so worked during the summer
or fall, is the use of "split-log" scrap
ers after rainfalls, which will not in
convenience anyone from driving or
hauling, and double the work can be
done for the same amount Of money.
In the spring a tractor can pull three
plows with less expenditure of power
than it requires to do half of the work
in the summer.
firmly believe that even if coun-
ty has not the money in hand to do
the road work early in the spring, that
It should borrow the cash even at
nigh rate of interest, rather than wait
until July or the fall of the year, and
hen rush the twenty-five or more Su- ]
onto the roads to do work of '
which they have no practical knowl-
dge, or ability to perform. q
The Levy Court has been waited up S
N this winter, and they have prom d
5ed to use their best endeavor to have :
he work accomplished in 1918 at the
roper season.
1 have used whatever influence I 9
lay have, also my time, and offered
~ service to get better roads and
lore efficient service for the money
Ipended on roads.
If were a County Commissioner, I p
ould put it up to the people of their R
strict to select a Supervisor of the
,ads, or a working force which would L,
equally divided politically, and this J. =
rule all over the County 81
Under the present system, knowl- Fl
ge learned from experience is lost
cause the Supervisor is turned out
political influence, and another 81
experienced man given the job, and Lis
the people have to see their money FIJI
listed. Generally, this is a continu- Az Az
s experiment of an individual far SuI
sr's ideas as to road work, without SUI
y practical knowledge of drainage FrC
road building, and it is more costly f1t fGSs
IN doing the work right. We of Int
awnee District have yet to see the Gre
left Of the present system of work AUt
the public roads as managed and 9'n
ected by the Levy Court Commits
ners. 1t was not intended that pol Ron
IS should be permitted to get into Oh b
road and highway system of Sus-
County, but that it should be work
out thru and by Road Engineer Est
h a competent department behind
!. That is what the people, both CO
locrats and republicans, expected W. TT
IN the new laws were enacted three
RS ago.
s to road beds: The road which is !
ken over a width of 25 feet with X
h at each side, will require double ~
expense to keep in repair, and it is H
dangerous. A dirt road 25 feet
e with a grade of IL inches from
center to the edges, and solidly q
ed from gutter to the crown of the IA
!, will last longer, be less expense kA
eep up, and wagons and automo- q
will not be skidding into the ~
les as soon as tney leave the cen
If the road. lou
le Shawnee road has demonstrated
the system which the present
lty Engineer of Sussex County has
lifted to grow up under his man
lent, is no improvement over the
which was abolished by the peo-
Before this road was ruined last
ner by the big scraper-when it
almost turned over and covered
md bitches cut on either side, it
been solid roadbed from gutter
Sutter. Two traction engines
!, and did, travel upon it side by
and never injured the road or
selves Now, one engine would
to keep in the centre of the road
e ditched. These bitches after
rain orn 6lIad ,,rst1,