The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1922-07-20
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PUBLIC DISCUSSION
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Changing The Road Law.

law has only been in effect for a short
time and is being tried out. Quite a
bit Of careful study and thought was
given by some of our best public
spirited citizens in preparing this law.
In my humble judgment it is the best
law we have ever had, and all that is
needed is executing it. / find upon in
quiry that very few persons have read
or know anything about the present
law. AS long as people have to work
roads or pay for their time, some are
going to complain and kick.
Road building is one of the biggest,
most difficult and Important questions
that confronts us today. People are
demanding better roads and for lack
of them many have left and others
will leave the farms.
Our boys and girls are leaving the
farms and going to the towns and
cities until it has become a national
problem. How to keep up the country
church and school is also national
question. Our best thinkers tell us
that dissatisfaction with country con-
ditions is the trouble.
/ When ] was boy country life was
attractive. The owners lived on their
farms, had nice well-kept homes, nice
orchards, fertile lands, grew clover
and grains. In fact, people lived at
home and were contented and happy.
How is it today? Many Of these
places are SO dilapidated and the lands
so run down, quilted and washed that
the former owners would scarcely
recognize them were they to awake
again at the old home.
1t is a sad, serious condition, when
one really reflects over it. Hoping to
4 be of service to the people Of my
county, | consented to take the chars
manship Of the road commission and
see if some improvement could be
made in our roads. The contract sys-
TEN, | was convinced, was a failure,
and success could not be attained
through that way of working roads.
Your commission has seemingly made
slow progress. We had many diff
culttes to overcome and plan had
to be worked out that has taken time
to perfect We had to make the best
i of the situation as we found it. The
roads had become so narrow under the
contract system, and were, in many
places, nothing more than bitches or
drains. There was practically no
drainage to the roads; but few Gull
verts and outlets for the water. We
had to make the best use Of the con-
tract system possible until a better
one could be devised.
The county had no equipment for
working roads. Had two superin-
tendents, neither of whom gave much
time to the roads, superintendent
for the jail hands and guards, besides,
a wagon, pair of plug mules and a
few tools. You have now a superin-
tendent, who devotes his entire time
to the roads, two spans Of good
young mules, harness, several wagons
/ and necessary tools for the jail crew.
We have $4,000 or more in equip
ment that has not cost the county
anything; have enlarged the barn at
the Jail, building sheds to it and have
a large new shed to house the road
equipment and protect it from the
weather. There was nothing Of this
kind before, and what equipment you
had took the weather. We used the
army trucks to pull the graders, but
found they cost too much in repairs
and upkeep.
| In August, last year, we secured a
new lotion caterpillar without cost
to the county and pushed this ma
chine every day DIS long as the wealth
er was good. 1t did splendid work, as
many of you saw. We have planned
to use this machine on the main roads
Of the county. Have done quite lot
of work already and expect to work
as long as the weather permits, cover
| ing quite an area of the county. Hope
to secure another caterpillar, and
should we do so, will do road work
that will really count.
With two outfits like the one we
now have las the road contracts ex-
pire) can work all Of our main roads
and contract the crossroads. With
wider roads land they can be widened)
and good drainage our roads will be
greatly improved Since an equip
ment is being secured and an organi-
cation perfected, which it has taken
time and labor to get together, would
it be good judgment or wisdom to
upturn everything just at this time :?
i However, if the people want to
change and have again such roads as
we had few years ago, it is their
privilege to do so. Mr.. Darby, our
superintendent, has taken great in
terest in the roads and we are in
debted to him for securing so much
equipment without cost to the county.
Your commission has opened a
number of new roads, doing away
with old roads that were in hollows,
and ravines, where it was impossible
to keep up a road. The new roads
have been put on ridges, making them
straight and doing away with num-
bers of bridges and levees that were
great expense to the county. 1t
took some money to make these
changes, but will prove economy in
the long-run to the county, for every
county bridge and levee done away
with saves lots of expense. Another
thing about these changes. They give
numbers Of people good roads to
travel over that have had mere trails
for years. They ought to have been
given better ways Of getting out be-
fore now, but had no law compelling
the man in front to give or sell a
| right-of-way for new road. This is
a good feature in our new law, for /
believe where a man lives on a better
road than the fellows who own little
homes back of him, he ought to give