Show TO BUILD GOOD ROADS much can be learned before funds are expended first learn what types of highways highway are best suited to traffic and climatic conditions Condi tlona millions have been washed at the present time there are two principal methods of raising funds for good roads tut iut director logan W page ot of the public roads department of 0 the government believes that before plans aro are set bet on an toot foot tor for securing money much should be said eald regarding the manner in which such luca funds should be expended it should not bo be assumed that simply because a country owns owna quarries from which trap or limestone rock can be secured that the expensive bacad am road must necessarily be built the qualifications of any rock cannot be definitely decided upon until laboratory tests testa have been held much money has been almost thrown away in tilts this country however on the construction of rock surfaced roads those having the construction in charge neglecting to call in the services of expert chemists and using rock totally unsuited to their traffic or 01 climatic conditions in many cases the results were disastrous the roads quickly raveling anil and going to pieces because the ce mInting V value alue was lacking A county which shows insufficient progress to bond itself in a liberal amount for the purpose of securing Imp improved royed roads should keep its money intact until its officers have learned exactly what class of roads will best meet its requirements what type ol of road it Is best qualified to construct constrict a and rid what it can best afford T those 11 one facts can bo be secured through the aid of the national government the office of public roads standing ready to give gratuitous service and to supply skilled highway engineers who are ara qualified to tell what type of highway would best meet that coun tys requirements and to demonstrate those decisions by supervising the building of stretches of model highways after which local officials may take pattern millions have been wasted in building roads which abich local conditions condit lono made impracticable and out of at all cost proportion to the countes coun tys revenue there thera are exceptions to all rules rule 8 however and pike county alabama stands as a glittering exception to the usual construction blunder blunde r there the county officials had planned to expend a large larga sum in the building of gravel roads W LS L spoon states state s superintendent of road construction being sent to make an inspection of the countes coun tys road possibilities learned that miles of important routes needed improvement ila iio figured that the cost of gravel roads would be a mile plainly a sum greater ahan han tho the county could be bonded for conditions however were ideal tor for sand clay construction and he strongly urged its adoption by a legal provision the county could bo be bonded tor for only three and one half per cent of at the assessed value of the real and personal pr property the plan was decided upon and an issue of was waa voted and worth of 0 the bonds were quickly sold eold being disposed of in allotments the first allotment brought a premium of and the second one of forty thousand dollars was at once spent for mules and road build ing machinery and work was started with the sum remaining miles of the finest sand clay roads in the south had been built within two years from the date of the bond issue a generous sum was still on band eight gangs were at work and the people were so eo well wall pleased that they stood ready to take up the remaining issue of and expend it in the same way |