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Show Road Making Keforui. The backwardness of municipal governments gov-ernments in this country in the matter of parks and other open places for public pub-lic rest and recreation compared with the methods in many foreign cities has been repeatedly set forth. There is another an-other matter of public interest wherein we are far behind the Old World public pub-lic roads. Whether paved, coated with a concrete mixture or treated ou the macadam principle, our best public highways high-ways are inferior to the best that are found abroad. It is a safe wager that we pay more for our roads than is put out in any foreign community in the way of repairs through a course of years, say ten, if not at the start. The waste of money ou this account is somewhat characteristic of the country, and is due in varying proportions to out-good out-good nature, which causes us to submit to a thousand nuisances rather than to give ourselves the trouble of grumbling, even when that form of protest might be effectual; to a pervading ignorance as to the possibilities in road making, aud to a lack of knowledge ou the part of governing authorities of economic methods of producing good roads. If town and county officers would pay for the service, the profession of road building build-ing might be made a profitable branch of engineering. The state of Xew York has made a start toward reforming the crude and costly methods which have so long prevailed pre-vailed in this country. A law passed in 1S90, entitled "An act to provide for the improvement and maintenance of the public roads in certain counties as county coun-ty roads," authorizes the boards of supervisors super-visors of counties (an authority akin to our county commissioners) of not more than 200 square miles of area to assume control of local roads for the purpose of maintaining and improving them. Authority is given to these supervisors to borrow money under certain conditions. condi-tions. Boston Transcript- Iu same European countries narrow tires are prohibited by law. The New York Sun says the Bavarian law requires re-quires 2K-inch tires for a two horse and 4-incli tires for a four horse wagon. For heavy two wheeled vehicles, like carts, the tires lntrst be respectively four and six inches wide for two or four horses. Atlanta Constitution. |
