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Henry W. Kratz, of Seh7ronksville, Pa., ïnade some very pointed remarks aboút rod supervisors and tlioir work in tho address on the advantagcs of good country roads which ho delivereil recently béfore the Peansylvania state board oí agrlculture. "It ia uma.ing." said Mr. Kratz, "to see what unfitness there is among men serving in the oapacity of street cominissiouers: they appear to havo no correct idea of tlic quality of the material reqaired for róad use, no jndgment or knowledge as to its proper preparation and Httle (ir no conooption as to its correct applirution Opon tho strccts. It would seein from the marnier in which many of them do their work that they really brlieve tliat two or morelarge uncrarked stones can occupy the same place ut the same timo and remain there. They do nat appeat to know tliat open spaces are created between the larger stones composing the first layer upon the street bed, and that those spaces slionld be supplied with smaller stones, andsoonusing still smaller stones until the material is ready to be consolidated and packed in order that a dry and smooth street may be the result. "Now the same inefficiency that prëvails among street commissioners in many buroughs is found among tlie supervisors of townships. In order that we may have beneficia! and satisfactory public roads men should be elected supervisors who have acquired a knowledge of road construction through their own observation, from the experience of men who have been engaged in the work and from actual study of the different methods of making Rad repairing roads, who jxisst ms smiie engineering skill and who are willing, wheaevei sustained by the people, to exercise the power conferred upon them by the road laws of this eoinmomvcalth to make and niaiii tain good and respectable roads. "Judge Yerkes, of the Bncks county court, recently delivered an opinión in u caso involving the rights and dntics öf road supervisors which is of general interest. On the demand of certain tax payera of Bcnsalem township Moses Vandegrift, tho supervisor, made a contract with them for making a good and substantial roadbed upon a specified part of the highways of the township, either by macadamizing the same or by the use of stone and gravel, or in such othcr way as should be deemed advisable and proper to make a permanent benefit to the township. The work appears to have been done to the supervisor's satisfaction, and the cost was claimed as a credit against the amount charged to him upon the township duplícate. "The cost, according to the contract, equaled the amount of taxes due to the township from the taxpayers, with whom the contract was made. The township auditors disallowed the credit on the ground that the supervisor exceeded his authority in making such a contract. Judge Yerkes said that the contract was clearly within the law and such as the supervisor had tho right to make. It was also for the making of such a road as the law contemplates, and of the materials mentioned by the act. It was true it might result in making a better character of road than is usually provided by the ordinary supervisor, but no better than tho statute intended should be made. "Judge Yerkes said that instead of making such improvements to the roads as would keep them constantly in repair and at all seasons clear of impediments to easy and convenient traveling it was usual for the supervisor to make a pretense of repairing the roads by throwing upon the hard bed from tho side ditches loose earth, unbroken rolling stones and whatever other material, suitable or unsuitable, that might be foand in the ditches alongside, without reference to the condition of the road or the necessity for repairs or filling up. The consequenee was that ofton good roads were made worse, if not nearly impassable, for a season, while poor ones were neglected, simply because the immediate side ditches did not furnish suitable materials to repair them with. This short sighted and too often useless system of repairing roads was frequently approved by the taxpayer for two reasons: First, because supposed to be inexpensive, and, second, it pormitted him to work out his taxes without being required to furnish valuable material or to provide the better labor that a different inethod would demand. "The judge suggested that if, instead of this ineffectual method, a portion of the highways of each township where most needed should each year be put in a state of permanent improvement, with such temporary repairs only as are needed to other portions, in a few years the same expenditure would result in establishing a system of safe, good and permanent roads which would not require half the expenditure incurred by tho system now practiced. "Ia most localities people practically prevent the construction of good roads, either by refusing to elect men for supervisors who, if elected, would improve the roads, or by defeating at the succeeding election those who, by reason of haviug better road coustruction, iucreane taxation. For an increase of tax to the amount of 10 cents on $100 and even less, because of road improvement, a supervisor would be overwhelmingy defeated in many of the townships of this state. "Under the present law the desired result could gradually be realized by constructing as many miles of stone road annually as a reasonable assessment upon property valuation and the amount received from the state (if appropriated) would permit. The state appropriatiim Bhould only be given, however, upon the condition that supervisors of each townhip construct a certain distance of road each and every year. I believe that the present road law, if not repealed, should be so modified as to annul the clause permittinK taxpayers to work out their own taxes, because the work done by the taxpayers, as a rule, is performed without knowk'dge or care."