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Show 'good road woke up county I 1 Single Stretch of Really Improved Highway Aroused Peopls to Need of More Improvements. The following Interesting story of ' how a single stretch of really good ; road has waked up an entire county to Its need of better highways comes from Kansas, and was printed In tbe C'hnnute Tribune. It begins: "One rood, county built road Ims done more," said a farmer recently, "to put rhautau'jua county on the map than jail township built roads have done In j ten years " The road be referred to i was built last fall and early this spring J by the county commissioners under the new county road law. It crosses j Chautauqua county from east to west j Its benefits are Just beginning to be fully realized. One day recently motor mo-tor cars from Oklahoma City. Fort ; Worth. Joplln. Ordway, Colo.. Coffey ' vllle and Independence were at Cha nute at the taint time. The good road Is bringing hundreds j of tourlnts through Chautauqua county coun-ty who otherwise would never have seen the county. As a result realty1 men report a larger number of for- elgn Inquiries about lands there than j ever be fore. The farmers are beginning begin-ning to see the benefit of having out-sldo out-sldo people through the county and are becoming good road enthusiasts. Chautauqua was one of the first counties In tbe state to take advantage advan-tage of tbe new county road law, which permits a tax levy not exceeding exceed-ing ono mill for road purposes. That money Is spent by the county commissioners. com-missioners. Its great advantage lies In making It possible for the county to get roads across townships which otherwise would not build them. Under Un-der tbe old system one township board would build a good road to the township line and tbe board In tho next township would do Just as It pleased about Joining It with a continuation con-tinuation of the work. Generally It did not Join, and tbe result was patchwork of disconnected highways. Now, with the county board In control long roads can be built and township jealousies are obviated. . Last year the county commissioners levied a one-mill tax and raised 113,-800. 113,-800. That was all used on the cross-county cross-county road. AH wooden bridges and culverts were replaced with cement and atone. Much permanent work was done. Tbe roaj today Is even better than It was when It was built. This year another one-mill tax was levied and the same sum as last year will be raised. Tbe work will be done In other parts of tbe county this year. The farmers also club together and build good roads to Join tbe county roads. A neighborhood four or five miles back from the main road will Join forces, set a day or a week and fix the road leading to the good road, tnd thus the good road system Is ipreading over the county. It Is J planned to make the third tax levy next year. Hy that time every one of j the twelve townships In this county will have received an equal share ol tbe county money and have good roads leading In at least two directions direc-tions across the township. For a time there was much opposition opposi-tion to the county levy. Mass meet Ings were held In the townships not receiving any of the first year's levy ind the tax was denounced. Petitions were signed asking the commissioners not to make tbe levy this year. Rut that was last January. When the board made the levy this month there . was not a protest. Those who opposed the tax at first have been converted after using a good road for seven or ' eight months. |