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Our Country Roads

Our Country Roads image
Parent Issue
Day
6
Month
March
Year
1890
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The iconiMy meeting i.f the society was quite w-ll attended in f pite of (ha bad roüiis. llon. J Aus'in Snott, who presidid, calkd oq Jui.ius E. Beal, to addn ?s the society ou ihe road qaegtion. Mr. Beal'a excellent and comprehensire disc .urse mei wnh the closest attention. It was iu substance aa followi : "The best commentary ou road improvoment is the preseut conditiou of the roads themselves. It has aroused attention all over the country, uotil büls are now before the legislatures of New Yortr, Massachuseits, Maryland, Khodelsland. Virginia, and ['ennsylvania. New Jersey passed a capital bilí last year. which is now building up for her a new tystem of road. At Vnderbl.t University free instruction is offered to oue man from each county ia tne state, on road construction. "Land values could be increased at least Ï10 per acre for farms connected with towns by roads which would carry lull loads the year around, whüo conservauve estimates show that each farmer would savejis annuallyworth of time, wear and tear of wagons, harness, and horso flesh. It would counteract the tendency of farmers to move iuto town toget advantage of schools, lictures, etc., if their children could drive In orer good roads in a few múiutes. while wealthy townspoople would be inóJiced to move out a ways toive their children theadvautages of pure nir, freedota and the healthfulness of country life. All this would raise the value of farms. ' "Thouiands of dollars have been lo.'t to Anti Arbjrmerchnuts the patt lew yeats by impassible roadi. Farmers have had the produce tbc city needeil and which they wunted toexchange. but inany have notbeen totonn this winter. AU are interetted in good roads and all ought to work together for the public good. The state should build some roads betneen the lorge cilies by general taxatlon on corporations, city people and farmers alike. A State Cominissioner of roads and bridges should be appointed who should be an enginetr and periniead this work. "In doing the best work. four points must be inslst'jdupon, viz: State and county work ralher than town6hip (except for unimportaut roads). abolish workinpr out road tax (except poss bly foruuusual work beyond appropriations); have oue man order expenditures in county who would thereforo be reponsible for good roads, and have a proper clasificaiion of roads made by Btate Commiiiiioner, say into state, county and town roads. ■ Couuties might be divided into road districts, where one or two men would be employed the ytar round in looking after the drainage, filling up holes aDd ruts as S"on as discovered. enting weeds, etc. As an educator a stone-crusher êhould be purebased by the city, or several townships for JöUj, and a few roads Duilt in a proper manner. whtch would show our people what a grand thing is a good road. We cannot stand these roads much longer, so we must get out of tne rut and mend our ways.r Prof. Charles E. Greene, professor of Civil Engineering, ndor.-ed all Mr. Beal had said, adding much valuable matter such as ouly a profesional man ca oíTbr. We hope to be ablo to give Prof. Greene's views on lliis subject nexi week. J. J. Ptfchall aked (he professor whether our granitc bouldeis couU be orushêd. The answer was ia the affirmative, statini tfaat grani'.e was U3td in other place?, that ït makes the b.fst roads, surpfs ing ihe limestone or any o'.her material. The folbwing letter addies ei trom Prof. J. B. Djvi% city enginter, h could not be present on account oi sickr.ess, was read: "It will not take Ion" to say all I know about road making. It is of Lttle consequence ia' brst) what a road is made of if it is kept dry. I have seen fair roads of swamp muck. The railroads understand this. Watcn them, as trafflc beconies heavier or speedier, use gravel (that is our case) then broken stone, then aspbalt. But never forcet to keep the roaa bed dry. To do thatyou neod an engineer or some such person, and it ie just there our schemes will fail, for countrymen will not yet pay (here) for that man, neither will they follow hls advice after they have paid him The real trouble Is there. The country people will not employ such services as they will need pay a fair price for them, and follow the advice bought Some man with some machine for sale, warrauted (tnis warrant, mind you) to make. mend flx, repair, plane.juint, square, level, plumb and ersde any kind of a road any where, under any condition whatever, to the propi r status of road rectitude. easuy Bells to a towDshlp, village or city about $75 or $100 wotth of machinery for from $300 to $500, to be presentir added to the public scrap heap, skips out wiih his money, and that loeality can't be ' worked" gain for about five vears on thls particular dodge. But there would be a lovely time Ketting 300 or 8500 out of a public body (especially in the country districts), for well considered plans by a competentpereon who couldn t be sold or bought nor hired t cheát or drawn into any 'Job." There are many wavs' of keeping a road bed dry. That is a professional matter about whtch numerous details would now be use'ess, This is all I now think I know about roads." A vote of thank8 was (endered to Hr. Beal and to Pro's Geen nnd Davis for their valuab'.e informaiion. A letter was alas read f rom II011. W. L. Webbar, of E ast Saginaw. After describing the costly plan tor crasbiog stone at the quarry at Bay l'ort, the letter stated : 'lt is the pracü :e in somc states to use portable crusbers and move thim about from place to place, gathering the stane and breaking them near where they ate to be used. The crushed stone uei ia Biy couaty fcr roads has given pre it Bt:gfüticn. Toe 13ay county psople pride liieaiaelve3 now upon bein abla to l ..vd wiih as heavy lods in muddj waiher rb they can aoy otber i.ms oí the jear. Tne act for i tone roais iu Safiiü&w cjuaty has been declared utic ui8ii:utional. Another eflbrt ii beiog made to prowde for stone roads here." The ohiirmu adilressej the society. IIÍ3 long experience n roail work on the steep hiils of New Etigl n I and later in the Maumee vailtry ïaOhio. nnj at Ann Arbor, on the roads surrou'nlin his elegant norae on Washtenaw avenuf, giva the re:nai ks of Mr. Sorjtt a peculiar weight. E. A. Nnid.mn, who, in o;der to keep up his rc-ligi'in, fooied it to Ann Arbor fiorn Lira i to attend this very raeeÜDg, believes in grávelas tho best material for road-making, and condemns our present sysiein of changing the overset rs of the highway annually. Fiequently the suocessor spoils the work of his prtdecessor. The lollowing motion was carried unanimously : WnEREAS,- The roads of Washtenavi county aro and have always been in such a deplorable condition, through a faulty ej-Btem of working and making, and whereas, we believe measurcS are absolutely necessary lo be taken to remedy thisevil tbrough proper leglslaiion, so that the state and county shall become interested in the ïmprovement of our highways: bo it resolved that the Washtenaw Pomologtcal Society do earnestly ask the next legislatura to make such laws as will bring about a reform for the general At our next town meeting thia road questiou should receive prompt and oarelul atlentioD. Ann Arhor city should have a stone-yard about the couniy jail. Tbe crushing of etone should be in order by the boarders of the sherifF, who himsel'f will use a boes hammer to initiate his disciples, and the chief of pólice will then cordially invite all tramps to this new departure, which, as a matter of uourse, will perfect the roads arouud the court house and campus first. Mr. Luther Palmer, of Dexter, who has well supplied the society for a number of years with all kinds ot' fruit packages, wanted to know whelher the paper basket woulj superseda the woodea one Messrs. John Allmand, C. C. Clark and others, spoke strongly in favor of the wooden basket; that the paper basket could be used in the home but not for tt,e distant market. The 32 quart crate was the most desirable. Mr. C. Parshall bited a 24-qnart crnte of vetv good construotion and material for 25 eenU. The uuderfigned exhibited the Rhode Island and .lonaihan upples aud i)i (inp?t specimen of the D'Aremberg ppar. The president spoke very hii?hly of the Jonathan apple, wh cfa by this :i ne, has !o-t i tg acidity and H of the fir.e-t flvor.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Register