OCR Text |
Show MAINTENANCE OF GOOD ROADS People in Many States Are Filled With Enthusiasm for Improvement Improve-ment of Public Highways. The present year promises to be the greatest In the hlatory of the movement move-ment for the Improvement of the public pub-lic roads of the United Statea, according accord-ing to the reports received from all parts of the country by the United States department of agriculture. A Joint committee of congress Is eo-gaged eo-gaged In an Investigation of the feasibility feasi-bility of federal aid In the construction. construc-tion. Improvement and maintenance of public hlghwaya, and a number of the slate leglslaturea are considering good road legislation. In connection with the general Impetua that the good road movement haa recently bad tn all parts of the country, the director of the office of public highways says: "Too much stress cannot be laid upon the Importance of maintenance in connection with the work of tra- proving the roads. The people la i nearly all the states are filled with enthusiasm for road Improvement and are spending enormous sums of money In the construction of supers roads, and yet almost without exception they are making little provision to care for the roads after tby are built. Tbla Is true not only In the various counties, coun-ties, but under many of our state highway high-way departments. To maintain the roads in good cob. dltlon year after year requires a considerable con-siderable annual oatlay. but tbis outlay out-lay la Infinitely less than the loss which most fail upon the people event-sally event-sally If they allow their roada to go to alter rain. The thing for all advocate advo-cate of good roads to do la to urge eontlaaoos, systematic maintenance, sad tbw wetting jld every year of aa amount per mil estimated by tbe ea-(taeer ea-(taeer 1b charge to be sufficient for the proper maintenance of the road a aourse which must make for economy ud efficiency." |