Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-02-13
1sIERs Of
GOOD ROADS
TAKE ACTION
tfaotinued from Page one)

= Va obliged to leave on account
1.mse ]. Steven of Chicago. MEM
y, n the state legislature, was
:. arst speaker. Seizing on the
s -. to pay a fitting tribute to
~ memory Of Abraham Lincoln
!. recounted how Illinois had al
-. been ready to give one OF its
80 VIM the nation faced a crisis
"a used It to express that Illinois
4 rov thoroughly alive to the need
= rood roads. He said that time
mi come when every community |
vill have them.
representative Stevens talk was
confined mostly to a citation OF
fscts and figures about Illinois
roads and the s60,0O0,000 bond is
.me. telling how the enormous in
creases in the costs of materials
ar road building had checked the
nrogress Of the plan to an alarm /
INK extent.
Cost Has Increased.
n was originally intended to
build 480 miles of improved high
vays with the $6O,000,000 at a cost
NJ sl2,5O0 per mile. This was a
few Years back when prices were !
still at a normal stage. In 1918
the estimated cost per mile was
$4,000 and at present about one |
hundred forty miles have been COM |
Melted at a cost of S31 900 per mile, |
he said. AS he understands it the |
urogram for 1920 calls for the COM
pletion of about one thousand miles. |
ut is problematical what roads
will be improved this year" he
said. except those already con-
tracted for. Roads contracted for
Improvement this year total about
six hundred miles. 1t was planned
during 1920 to build one road in
Rodk Island county.
All these things depend upon
labor conditions to large extent.
Then. too. the state engineers take
into consideration five things when
making surveys for the location Of
highways, namely: Number of peo-
pie served; cost of various routes;
grades; railroad crossings, and the
clearing, which calls for nearly
straight, long curves.
in representing your claims for
recognition to the commission,
keep all these points in mind. The
commission will issue due notice
Of when a meeting will take place
for the purpose of hearing claims"
Representative Steven stated that
It was originally planned to have
the entire network of good roads
completed in five years, but condi-
tons conspired to prevent this. 1t
is now proposed to let things rest
in all places possible until the
costs go down.
He pointed out that when finally
completed the cost will not come
out of the taxpayers pocket, but
will be derived from automobile Ii
censes. He said that if improved
roads were to be apportioned &C
cording to the amount of license
money realized from each county.
Rock Island county would secure
about five miles with 100000 col
leated since 1918 on automobiles.
But on the basis of giving accord
ing to location and population, Chi
cago and Cook county is the great
est contributor. .
Senator Carlson Talks.
State Senator Martin r. Carlson.
formerly mayor of Moline, put the
matter in a different light when he
brought. out that in his belief Rock
Island county is not getting the
amount of roadway it is really en-
titled to in point of contributions
to the license fund. He said that
Cook county stood first, Sangamon
second, and Rock Island county
third in the matter of automobile
license money.
Senator Carlson spoke of the
magnitude of the task confronting
the state highway commission with
senator's and Representatives from
every section of the state continu-
ally knocking at its door and de-
handing to know when work was
going to be started in his particu-
lar district.
Senator Carlson said he had been
Informed that Rock Island county
would be touched this year, &c
cording to the program of the
highway commission, which calls
Tor the Improvement of the road
from DePue to Sheffield to Geneseo
and into Rock Island county.
Tells OF French Roads.
Major E. H. Dunavin of Rock Is.
iand was called upon to tell about
tne roads of France. Luxembourg
and Germany. Major Dunavin said
mat Just as this country seems te
oe so far ahead OF the old coun.
Tiles in practically every other form
OF transportation, so are we just
mere infants compared to them il
the matter of hard roads. Theil
common highways are like oul
oouleyards Plenty Of stone exists
laoor is cheap. and the peasant:
are always found repairing certain
stretches whenever needed. he said
Inc roads range from no thickness
~ all to u to IA inches, protrudin,
ABOVE the level Of the ground. On,
reason they are always good is tn,
lact that they are constructed will
view to proper drainage. A strik
ing feature of the roads of Franc,
are the rows Of trees that line eacl
side.
Speaks for Mercer.
mayor c. A. Beers of Aledo ex
pressed the sentiment of the lowe
soo OF Rock Island county and o
.Iercer county when he said that
Tue north end had been hume,