Favor Better Roads

The Southern Washtenaw Farmers Club met at the home of C. M. Fellows in Benton in the township of Saline June 9. This club is the oldest in the state. It is composed of farmers of Manchester, Sharou and Bridgewater. Mr. Fellows became a member some 15 years ago while in Sharou and has kept up his membership ever since. Although many of the members had a long way to drive, they did him the honor, 40 strong, of visiting him in his adopted home, which is indeed a pleasant one at the old "Benton Exchange," where Chester Parsons "kept tavern" on the Detroit and Chicago pike so many years while stage coaches and prairie schooners conveyed pioneers farther west, but now the Electric railroad runs along this pike as far as Saline and Mr. Fellows thinks there is no doubt but that he will soon see the electric cars running where he often saw the stage coaches passing and repassing the same old residence, and he hopes also for mail delivery, for the Berton post office was located here for about 40 years with Mr. Parsons as postmaster.

After dinner the president called the meeting to order and the program commenced with select reading by Mrs. Rawson, some of which induced thought as well as laughter. Mrs. Fanny English read an essay entitled "A Thimble Full. " The thought was fill up full and well the character by "little deeds of kindness, little acts of love. " Make our lives cherished and blessed. To fill our own appointed place well is the best that one can do, glory and renown can come to but few, but good honest manhood is in the reach of all. The essay was a good one.

The topic for discussion was Good Roads. The secretary, A D. English, read a paper suggesting that some system should be adopted to have more uniformity in road work. H. K. Palmer, George Rawson, James Weis and others spoke of the inefficiency of many overseers of highways, some were elected as a joke, others to avoid working on the road, etc. Some districts needed more work than others and often had a smaller tax to work the road. The discussion resulted in the conviction that a better system of applying the tax would result in better roads. The president appointed George Rawson and C. M. Fellows a committee to draft resolutions suggesting a better system.

After due deliberation the committee recommended the following resolutions:

Resolved that it is the sense of this club that the road tax should be paid in money, collected the same as other taxes, and be expended for road purposes under the direction of four district overseers in each township, such overseers to be appointed by the township board and to give bonds for the honest expenditure  of all moneys placed in their hands.

Resolved, That such overseers shall give all persons liable for taxes in their districts the preference of employment to the extent of their tax if such work shall be equally efficient as done by other workmen. The club expressed itself satisfied that if this plan could be enacted into a state law we would see a great improvement in our roads in a few years. The resolutions were unanimously adopted. After a very enjoyable day the meeting adjourned to next September.