Show 6600 gA Cnnnli lnalls N1TED STATES Consul Seyfcrt nt Stratford Ontario U On-tario has refused an Interesting Inter-esting report regarding the methods being adopted in that vicinity to accomplish public road Improvement from which the following is taken The Province of Ontario has sixty I thousand miles of country road maintained main-tained by township nun county councils coun-cils Since the beginning of the movement move-ment for better roads there is a radical radi-cal improvement In the condition of the roads The old way of road Improvement Im-provement by statute labor which has existed for nearly a century nun did much during pioneer days to open highways has been largely superseded by n more modern system of a direct tax rate and closer supervision Township control Is universal In road construction while nt the slime time county councils have undertaken the management of n system of main roads within the county The work of the county council Is devoted chiefly to legislative functions anti the actual oversight of work on the grounds is I left to road < foremen or overseers The i county system is aIded by the pro vlnclnl government to the extent of onethird of the entire cost of construction construc-tion During the years of 100301 1021 miles of main roads were improved im-proved at nn expenditure of jOO000 through provlnclnl aid Modern road I machinery such ns grading machines I stone crushers Is in general use throughout the province Natural I I gravel beds are numerous nnd care Is I I taken to select the best gravel in the I pit which under the modern system Is plnced on the roads after the earth is consolidated with the roller Bridges are now all being built with steel 1 superstructure concrete abutments anti concrete floors The matter of drainage Is given the greatest attention Where underdrnin age is needed tiles are used with frequent fre-quent outlets that will lend to natural i watercourses Breakers once so common com-mon for carrying the water from one I side of the rond < to the other are entirely I en-tirely abandoned Concrete culverts I have taken their place nnd on the I steep hills where such surface drnln I age is necessary the road bed with Its I high centre crown Is ns smooth ns on j I the level In the older parts of Ontario Onta-rio road construction hns long since I I passed the early temporary singe and improvements are made with a view I I of durability Perth County of which I Stratford is the county seat hns 1302 1 miles of country highways of this 072 I miles arc gravelled and arc as line permanent per-manent roads as can be found in any country I A source of much trouble and expense I I ex-pense to keep country roads open in Mils latitude for several months of time vlntcr Is the enormous amount of Miowfnll Snow fences similar to those used by railroads lire employed but wire fences lire much cheaper and give better satIsfactIon In the early part of the winter snow plows lire used but Inter In the season they cannot can-not cope with the drifts and many of the roads become absolutely impassable impassa-ble To overcome some of the dlllcul ties on snow roads the last provincial legislature adopted a measure In passIng pass-Ing an act the Hist section of which provides that On and after the comIng com-ing into force of this section no person shall use on any public highway except ex-cept within the limits of any city any sleigh or other vehicle upon runners drawn by horses or other nnimnls except ex-cept cutters manufactured after the first day of December 1900 unless the slime is so < constructed that the Ills mince between the outer edge of such runners at the nottoni Is not less than four feet TIme object of this IICtto hnve n uniform width of sleigh runners Is to get a wider track for double teams llondwuj Iterwlrlne In n letter to the selectmen of the towns throughout the State of Connec ticut James II Macdonald State Highway Commissioner gives some practical points on repairing roadways as follows All culverts and gutters should be cleaned out and all shoulders on the roads should be pared down so that they shall be below the traveled pOI lien of the highway This will permit of the water running oil Into the gut tee Gravel roads should have a lit tie gravel placed on the marks in the centre of the rond and In the ruts If this is not done at this season no good will result All loose stones should be removed from macadam roads with the back of a rake not the teeth Loose stones injure a road as much as any one thing because they are driven Into the surface and break time bond Where the stone is beginning to show though n little splinters or chips of stone should be applied to form n cushion This cushion thould not be more thnn threefourths of nn inch thick No sprinkling or rolling is nec essary A ton of splinters will suffice for from L50 to 800 square feet An ordinary farm roller weighted down and run afer te road after oose stones are removed will improve It It Is not necessary to use screenings on n stone road as they only furnish dust in dry weather If the road is watched n new surface will not lie necessnry ns It will not hnvo the chance to get In bad condition |