An Object Lesson

Senator Richardson said that fur ten years he had been pathmaster at his homo, where ho had a farm of 200 acres, and ho knew something of the workings of the present road system. He spoke of the difficulties of getting farmers to work on the road. ' 'Some eighteen months ago," said he, "I built half a inile of road as an object lessen. Wo have a clay loam soü. I dug down several inches, put in stone, thüi put on four inches of gravel, keeping a hof; b;-k form all the while. Por the past eighteen inonths I have had the nnly dry road in tho couuty. People go jut of their way to drive over that piece of road. I resolved when I was elected that I wonld try and do something for good roads. I determined to prepare a bilí which will reduce to a minimum the expense of building good roads. The farmer feels that he can work out his tax cheaper than he can pay it. "I believe the cities are interested and will cheerfully aid in the construction of the roads. The people from the cities go into the country in suminer and ■zda on the country roads, vhich they all at present condsmn. I believe that everyone in the cities will cheerfully support a measure that will give us good roads. There are many cities along the canal, and the farmers away from it hve helped to inaintain it year after year. Is it not of as uiuuh interetit to the state to have the road highways across the country, enablingour farmers to get their produce to the cities, as it is to have a water highway which enables farmers to bring their produce here? "I believe the losses to business men in cities during the last twelve months on account of bad roads would build the roads we aak for, and I believo the losses sustained by the farmers in being unable to get their produce to market would do the same thing. Build good roads and the farmer four miles from the city will be worth as much as one only ono inile away now. It would perhaps cost $800,000 a year to maintwin the roads after constructed. I have had a map made of the state with roads eitending from one county seat to anbther, and there are about 2,800 miles of road." - Report of Meeting of the New York State Roads Improvement Association.