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Show MAKING GOOD ROADS. How Tt Was Done In nn Indiana County Without Any Extra Outlay of Money. An expert on highways says that Itj costs about $1,000,000,000 annunlly to) haul tho farm products of tho United; States, nnd that of this sum $000,000,-1 000, or three-fifths, are wasted In tho, energy oxpondrd In overcoming thol resistance of had roads. Put In another way: Clood roads would cost a groat sum, hut for bad roads tho people uro actually paying an oven higher price. Tho sweeping abortion Is Implied In this statement that tho roads are had everywhere. This Is by no means the cne, hut It may bo truthfully said that thcro nro few portions of public highways In ex-lstcnco ex-lstcnco that could not ho mndo considerably consid-erably better. It docs not seem that argument Is required to convince hind owners, who boar tho main load of carrying on tho work of road building, thnt good roads aro to bo dcslrod. That Is admitted and thoy nisi) accept the responsibility responsibili-ty of furnishing the most of tho lin-monsc lin-monsc Bums required for building roads In the future. All that has been effected and It may be said that the greatest dlfllcitlty has been removed In the education of the public to accept the clulm that good roads uro a necessity. neces-sity. It Is a fact that land owners and farmers genornlly tho country over aro well convinced that tho agitation of recent re-cent months over tho question of road Improvement hns not como from themselves them-selves but from manufacturers nnd owners of automobiles nnd bicycles. Their name Is legion nnd their claims nro founded In reason. Nevertheless attention should be given to tho fact thnt already Initnonso sums nro expended each year on tho Jronds of tho country nnd thnt possibly sthore Is not enough to show for the millions thnt nro so freely furnished by tho taxpayers. I Tho oxpcrlcnco of our homo district may bo of somo Interest to other rood workers, writes a Wnyno county (hid.) correspondent of tho Prairie Fnrmor. This road district Is In the western part of Wnyno county, Ind. It Is a populous county nnd n great deal of heavy hauling Is done on tho roads '"OAD MAONm CALCUTTA. (TIioukIi Tliolr Method Aro Kree nml Kimy nnd Tliolr Tools Mostly Old-Fusliloneil, Old-Fusliloneil, tlui Natives Do Tliolr Work; Well, and tho Mnln Honda of Calcutta Wilt Compare) Iivornlily with Those, of Any Eastern Town.) at nil times of tho year, excopt In tho winter thaws when henvy loads aro forbidden by law. From tho very beginning tho caro and supervision of tho roads of this district had boon undor men who lived In tho country neighborhoods. Thnt Is to say, no ono except n farmer had ovor had control of tho road work. The roods were not In good condition, condi-tion, notwithstanding thcro waa gravel in nbundnnco to bo had at a amall prlco per load. It was not nn unusual thing for loads to stall nt times whoa thcro was no real occasion for tb roads to bo In an lmpassablo condition. Mud holes nnd nits wero tho Mile, nnd where gravel was placod on the roads It was In bunches, unovenly spread. Stones wero lying in tho roadway road-way nnd after n rain thcro wns u ditch In tho mlddlo of tho road worn by tho feet of horses hitched to ulnglo rigs. Thoro was no complaint mado especially. es-pecially. Hvcryhody scorned to think tho roads wero as good oa the money would pay for, and bo tho condition went on from year to year with but llttlo Improvement nnd no plans for n change. Threo years ago, howovor, the work of superintending tho roads In this district dis-trict wns voted to Dr. N. F. Cannday, u practicing physlclnn. Dr. Cannday had been driving over theso roads for 30 years, day and night and In all seasons of tho year. Ho wus frequently stuck In tho mud nnd not always was nblo to return without broken harness and damaged vehicles. Dr. Canuday had purchased nn automobile a fow months boforo his nppolntmont ns superintendent superin-tendent and with It travoled over the roads for many miles In ovory direction. direc-tion. Ho had his Ideas about road building and started to put them In forco at once. Under his supervision tho roads soon assumed another appenranco, He eliminated tho mlddlo ditch, ho caused drains or opon ditches to bo kept open at both sides of tho road, ho gradod ovory foot of tho roads over again, ho had gravel placed on ovory mllo of road under his chargo, ovory load of gravel was screened nt tho pits and Btones nlrondy on tho roads were collected col-lected Into heaps and hauled oh. At frequent Intcrvnls n man was' out ovor tho road with n, wagon loaded with gravel. Depressions that might wear Into holes wero looked for and tilled up and tnmpod down. Wherover a spot appeurcd to be wearing It waa given Iniitnnt uttontlon. All UiIr work 'nn dono with the usual amount of money duvotod to tho roads uf tho district. I |
