Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1929-03-07
KEEP ROADS OPEN


roads of the county open for traffic
in the winter time as well as through
out the summer was discussed some
last winter and this winter the sub
ject has been given even more at
tention by citizens and taxpayers.
The county has about 800 miles of.
socalled state-aid roads and it is of
course those that are proposed to be
kept open by the county.
The county commissioners have
held back little on the proposition
and this is as it should be- We should
not plunge into anything new without
due consideration. Another reason
for making haste slowly is that the
county has considerable Indebtedness
and of course the commissioners are
held to account. Pine county has
population of about 81 900 but in point
of area is one of the largest counties
in the state, so naturally there are
many miles of roads to build. con-
Sidering the population. And not
only are there many roads but also
many bridges, and much money has
been spent on those during the past
ten or twelve years. According to the
commissioners the most important and
necessary bridges have now been
built and the expenditures in that
line will not be so heavy hereafter,
and it will leave funds for other pur-
poses. Therefore it would seem that
the matter of keeping State-aid roads
open throughout the year should now
be the next matter to be solved. and
it would be well to have this arranged
for by next winter
To get at it in the most economical
manner is an important point to
strive for. Here we can learn from
others. Railroads and the trunk high
ways use snow fences in order that
the snow shall not drift SO high on
the right of ways. This makes for
less expense in clearing away what
snow might gather in spite of the
fences. 1t would seem that that
should be the first step for the COM
miSsiOners next fall-to place ade-
quate snow fences on the bad spots
less snow on the roads would be the
clearing away of brush and high
grass on the roadsides, and it would
seem that a part of the time Of main
tenance men could be spent to good
advantage in clearing away the brush
and grass each fall. With adequate
snow fences and instead of having
drifts up to eight and ten feet in GER
tain places as we have had some
winters, the drifts would be far small
er and the clearing of the roads could
in many cases be done with smaller
outfits-by the maintenance men along
the roads,
Physicians and mailcarriers have
suffered long enough, and they are
entitled to better roads. And then
there are the farmers living from ten
to twenty miles from town-they have
a long journey in the winter time
by sled and a rough one many times.
True, even though the state-aid roads
are kept open the mail carriers will
still have many miles to travel on
township roads that are not cared
for by the county, but if all the 300
miles of state-aid roads are opened
it will help materially and if it proves
that the expense is not so great, many
townships will also start taking a
hold on keeping their roads open.
Practically every. township in the
county has some miles of state-aid
roads so the benefits will be we'll
spread over the county if they are
kept open. If the main roads are
opened, there are also many farmers
living on side roads who will volun-
teer to keep their roads open as they
are now doing in many cases on the
main roads-for instance between
Sandstone and Askov the farmers
along the road have cheerfully given
of their time to keep that open. With
the main roads closed, there is no
incentive for farmers to open side
roads leading to them.
The county commissioners have de-
cided to ask referendum vote on
: the matter of keeping main roads
open at the spring election next Tues
day, March IL. Township and village
clerks have been asked to include that
question on the ballots. We can hard
ly approve of that move, for at best
it will only show the sentiment of