Why Not Move On The Road Question

(■!!: th'ng Lacklng to the pro e cMition ol road reform in tWs ta1 ■ i a conviction on the part o! the peo pi 11i.it .I te ;Hlvaut:iiiC(iii-. or in other v.-iinl-, bhat it will lx1 worth lint il will oost. We have it.Il the powems requislte n nv i o go uhead w;ili the work in my pounty when the people ot bhe cminty so will. Wlicu the people are satisfied on the economie polnt, +here eau be no iloubi about i '■ ir eo'sos ahead. There shooaM be nf Berlous diiflculty Ing t hem on ttils polni . The imlc advantages m' road reform and JmpcoTement are no longer maíters ot guees-work, or a gpeculation. They have been demonstrated. New Jersey, to lts credH aa b state, be it gatd, Has mu the risk Involved In making bhe expertmenl and nowveapHg the reward Ol a clrinnii-tration. It (lid nol stop to inquire whether I roada eoold be tnad to pay, bul went ahead to sec what the tad was. I; :ii::iri t hat t'iK'.v do pay and the rest oí tfoe gtatee eaa proflt by lts experiencé. In the June oumbec o; Good Road?, a magazine devoted bo bhe cause ol v.ad lanprovemejit, Uiere are hall a doren papera on bhe saecees whlch been Jiu't wlth in New Jersey In bhe" niaitrr ■; road rciorin ; and the (acta ramtahed are fuU ol Interest. Jhc principa] Qíticle on "New Bey'S Progresa" le by President l'.uriniíii'.i-, al the State Roed Improvenseiii Asaoclatlion ; and the ttrst Iac1 he .-lates a OOe tliat muy well arrest attetrUoo i' every farmer. ThiCací le 1 1 1 ■ 1 1 be'ore the building ol the New Jersey tuwiptikeg, twenty-five baekefas oí potatoea were coasldered .i fair load (ram the farm he occupied, lile were built, fifty tu Bjxty liasUets wel .■ cimsiiiered no more oí a load Uian tt twenty-Hve were iiciin-'. S'lnce til' stune road was Imllt .(lio load carricd with "a-e te '.nuil elgiity-Hve to ion baskets. A atollar, 11 Dd greater savlng lias been foand n baaUng heavy loada other tinao potatoee. ciearly an tmprovement Wtioh 8hOW8 sik-U dcfiíiit e. tauiD tlie way 61 gavlBg la wortli iiaynu uní ínoney lor. As t(i t'.le O081 ni lh.se lü]irnveiiienis the writer glvae sumí' detallad li.'iiires uiiich are 90 depeadeni m COSÍ 'í inaK'i'ial and írs.n-ht iliat tiiey llave do specte] valué lien' : Imt eiiicnt made abowa that a _ ,,l (.mi oí expense can be Bafely Incurrcd. One o.' the couuüea ni the state :ssii'd $450,000 In bonds toe th ■ jiiiriiii.-e í improvlng i 1 roade, and jmt dOWD aliout sixiy lui'.es ií sume rnaiN. averaffing sixteen leei In width : tinil attbOUgh they an' payiim a tax 11 addition t.i all other tases i o meet the tateresi oí 4 per cent, mi these bonito, the iax rate ; the cüiMity Ib [owet tlian it waa betore ilif roada w;re buiu . Ia another paper In the same numbci- oí the magazine referred to, lí sh ,wa wiíai has been done in Dnlon Oo., New Jersey, through improvcm-at ol the roads. ín ls.xn ttoe road act, kiiuwn aa bhe Mí'Iit law, waa lias-e!, providlng tUai the roads inllit be lajir.ivcíl n a crrtaHi luanner speolíled, one-third í bhe expense ;, be pai-d by ttoe cltlies, towns, town!;;[!-. or bnrroughs, through whlch t!i,' Improvement va mode, and the twothirds by the county at barge. '1'Iktc was a provielon in the ■ i v, n.r borrowlog money to tbe ex,,f $300,000 and rnialng $50,000 more by direct tav. Th ■ bonds were ■lat I per ri'ii'. . and BOld at a smal] premium : and the $50,000 tax was extended over two years. 'i'iu' roade have imw been built two yeara and aome ol bhem three. 'i'wo years liefore tíie roada ere built, In L887, bhe tax pate oí the cooaty, nut inCludkog BCboOl, tuwnsliip or any otli,-v tax. was .60. In 1892, alter the expendtture ol .■ar.O.OOO Uk roads, it was .59. Ttoe vaiiuitkin of the property ol tbe county in 1889, the year the roadn were commenced, was sljt.946,000. In ls'.cj, fcwo years aftex the roada were tlniabed, the viiiuation WM $31,7l)!l,47(), an nercase of $4,000,000. It is not contended i !i;it tit cutir' is due to road Unprovement, Uit ii stoown very clearly, by a compartaon ol different locaütles, thai the lacrease i very largely traceable to tlint canse. There te a provisión In New Jersey tor state a.M In certaln caaes in which the ï.nv dlffers fromi tha1 whlch we have Ln MJchlgan. We have here, however, os ajpeady stated, all the lnw iiiat is meeded aa a basta h goIng aiheod wit the weck. WiiMt te wantcd ia :i touoh oT t-he same ]'.rit and enterprlse whlcb haa aalmated the {armera ol New Jersey.