Evening journal. [volume], May 27, 1913, Page 10, Image 10

About Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932

Image provided by: University of Delaware Library, Newark, DE

                
COUNTY ENGINEER WILSON TELLS OF YEAR'S WORK ON THE ROADS
'
I
County Engineer .Tam*»« Wilson
flay submitted to the Levy Court his
annual report stowing the work done
on the roads of New Castl*> county
■SHit deals particularly
to
£he past year
with highways that arc not of ma
'cadam, mostly the dirt roads in the
various hundreds. The report shows
jnuch good accomplished and a ma
4erlal return to the county for the
Pencader hundred.
jnoney expended.
it is shown, is the only hundred that
has a road debt, it owing $600. This
Is In gratifying contrast with condi
tions a few years ago, under the old
system, when each hundred had a
big burden of road debt. The report
is as follows;
TO THE PRESIDENT AND MEM
BERS OF THE LEVA' COURT OF
NEW CASTLE COUNTY, DELA
WARE .
In accordance with an Act passed
by the General Assembly, 1907,
Oiled "An Act to provide a system
for the repair and improvements of
the public roads, bridges and cause
ways in New Castle County; for the
cn ■
.. . _
collection of Hundred Road Taxes
heretofore assessed and levied, and ,
repeal all Acts Inconsistent thete-j
È with." I beg to submit the following j
APPOylTNIMINK HUNDRED.
N. W. Vanhorn, Supervisor,
Receipts.
Balance on hand April 1st
!
$ 1.485.84 {
1912 .
Cash Received
Western Union Tele
graph Co.
Diamond State Tele
phone Co.
Taxes .
1
3.00 I
j
t 4 890 °5
* * '"
•j
R
Balance on band April 1st,
j 772.741
Thè balance of this, hundred Is as
2 74 without any
Our balance thl» year is
year because of
8.69
3,392.72
Total .
Disbursements.
Labor ..
Hauling .
Material ..
Town of Townsend .
Miscellaneous Hoad Ac
count . ..
$ 1 585.8
1 , 011.86
1.079.78
400.00
40.00
$ 4,117.51
Total
above stated, $
debts.
* than last
building several reinforced concret*'
bridges and culverts to replace old j
miles of new road were made and 1
miles re-formed by
means of the road scraper and road
drags. In dragging and re-dragging
some forty (40) miles were gone over.
Six (6) wooden bridge, were repaired
and «lx culverts Itad concrete header.
were° n rebulu, one of which was of
concrete, and fifteen (15) new cul
verts put In. We also put In 336 feet
of cement culvert pipe, where this
kind of pipe could be appropriately
used. About 600 feet of ditches were
We used 4,600 feet of lumber
co
Many
and other general
( 10 *
wooden ones. Ten
worn out
about twenty (
dug.
and elghty-two (82) barrels of
msnt, besides stone and sand,
holes were filled
work done.
BLACKBIRD HUNDRED.
Wm. H. Fennemore, Supervisor.
Receipts.
Ra.-nce on hand, April 1.
-1912 ......
Cash received ..
Western Union Tele
« graph Co.
Diamond State Tele
phone Co
Room rent
$ 2.272 47
3.00
. 6.88
25.00
Taxes ....
$ 348,76
Hi Our balance this vear is smaller :
than last. In this hundred for the
same reason as In Appoquinlmink.
We built four (4) vtery fine re-inforo
ed concrete bridges at the following
locations; Gun Bush bridge, 20 feet
wide with 12 feet wing-walls and ten
» . InniHkin PKnenL »1 J_ .
T a 't . ^ Ï ^ n Av n
["VV .s r ° ndwa> ' teu fe ®'
and A n v, r T"; - Cor T mm ni?
woods bridge 20 feet roadway, ten
fe*t wing-walls and 8 feet «pan. I
mention these bridges particularly
because they arc each of them of
very fine appearance and of very
good workmanship. We have put in
quite a number of iron and cement
culvert pipes and have put concrete
r walls to several of them, and have re.
paired 35 wooden bridges and trunks
Fifteen (16) miles of road wer©
. 2.673 88
$4,880.23
Total .
Disbursements.
Labor .
Hauling .
Materials .... .
Miscellaneous road account
$ 1,846.12
1,376.73
1,268.62
40.00
.$ 4.531.47
Total ...
Balance on hand April 1,
1913 .
scraped and in all about twenty (20)
miles dragged, besides other general
good work. In this hundred and Ap
poqulnimink hundred we have within
the last four years put in twenty (20)
re-inforced concrete bridges similar
[, tcuthe four described about.
BRANDYWINE HUNDRED
W'm. Pennington. Jr., Supervisor.
.$ 2,697.78
14.40
42.60
12,700.79
291.69)
29.10
-
Receipts.
Balance on hand April 1st,
1912 .
Cash Received—
WVstern Union Tele
graph Co .
Delaware & Atlantic
Telephone Co .
j. Taxes .
Wilmington Yacht Club
. Sale of Cement Bags..
Total .
■Disbursements
Labor .
Hauling .
R Materials ...
Sit Miscellaneous Road Ac
count .
Overpaid Taxes .
.$16,776 36
. 6,846.621
. 2.609.51
. 4,705,09
40.00
12.16
Total .
Balance on hand April 1st,
? 1913 .■
$14,313.37
Î 1,562 99
A great deal of work has been done
' In this hundred principally stone
; work. We have built and repaired
U thirteen (13) culverts of ie-inforced
i concrete and have repaired Five (6)
* lridges. About two (
road in all have been stoned, most of
It Telford, and about two (2) miles
Some
were
sev
miles of
. was resurfaced with cinders.
» fourteen (14) miles of road
i dragged and kept In order, and
\ eral miles of ditches re-dug. Four
i (4) hills were cut down and the road
i graded. One of the worst of these
I bills, the hill leading up from the
f Rising Sun bridge wa B In a most de
li piorable condition, but since re-grad
J ,^4 piping and re-turîocmg with
Cinders, It is in very fine condition.
We used (16) car-loads of crushed
stone, 18 car-loads of cinders, 316
feet of metal pipe, 100 barrels of
"cement, 40 tons of sand and steel 1
beams and several boxes of dynamite.
1
CHRISTIANA HUNDRED.
Moses Lowther. Supervisor.
Receipts.
Balance on hand April 1st,
1912 .
Cash received—
Western Union Tele
graph Co.
Del. & Atlantic Tele
phone Co.
American Telephone
$ 3,778.08
14 40 !
49 16 I
1
13 09 I
ssAmu'
Co.
65.68
Freight rebate .
Insurance rebate .
- Sale Crushed Stone .,
Taxes .
1.61
19.42
11,315,80
$ 15.247.24
( j abor
j Hauling
Materla ) g
Total
Disbursements.
4.960,23
3,239.60
2.116.83 1
10.00
467.91 i
, Water Trough .
Clemens Run Bridge .
1.942.84
KrnnP „. M (. C uoa Road
overpaid Taxes ....
Miscellaneous Road ac
count . ■.
Automobile Hire .
40.00
12.00
32.46
$ 12,821.87
Total
Balance on hand April 1st,
1913 .
$ 2,426.37
Much of the road work In this hun
dred. as in the other hilly hundreds,
consisted In repairing the ravages
made the previous summer and fall
by tbe unusually heavy storms,
which we were unable to fully repair
before the winter season came on us.
We however scraped about ten (10)
miles In the southern
afterwards dragged
(7) new bridges were put
In. two (2) of plank and five
(5) of concrete, two (2) of which
were rather large and from their lo
cation necessitated long, heavy wing
They took the place of two
old narrow dry wall culverts which
were never of sufficient width to
carry the excess water and caused
continual damage to the roads at their
respective points. One other bridge
a,1(1
iSeven
district
them.
was a concrete arch bridge put In by
the Luton Bridge Company. Four
(4) culverts were rebuilt, two (2) of
concrete and two (2) of plank. Six (6)
bridges and four (4) culverts were
repaired. The abort piece of road
connect i ng (he Kennett Square road
#n( j wilmlngton-Kennett turnpike
baC k D f the lower Brandywine Pres
ohurch ,, bout onP thousand
1(1000) fwt wa. Cundv^Vho
Mr. Patrick Mundy, who wu at
that tlm*. working on the -.ennett
road, and entirely rebuilt as a graded
macadam road. We had him also
; grade the hill leading towards Mc
j Gulre's and pul In a four (4) feet con
arete culvert to replace an old wooden
; one; lsc two (2) metal culvert
! p(p eB where we crossed the pike and
' concrete ends put on them. We re
dressed with Dyer Blrdsboro stone
part of the Buck lane, and put In a
large metal pipe with concrete ends
I and cut-offs to pass part of the water
flow to the other side.
Rhoads' Hill and Thompson's road
wore also resurfaced In parts. On (be
Montchanln road about fifteen hundred
(1600) feet was resurfaeed with Dye."
Blrdsboro stone and one thousand
(1000) feet of the upper end adjoin
Ing Adam's cross roads was raised
from 12 to 15 Inches with field stone,
and covered with slag and top-dressed
with cinders from Rockland Mills.
These cinders, as those for Brandy
wine hundred, were given us free of
charge through the generosity of John
Harris, superintendent of Rockland
Paper Mills. At the foot of Rising
Sun lane we rebuilt entirely the in
tcrsection of the bridge approach with
tbe Public road, and put in cast iron
P»Pes and concrete gutters There is
l' el mucl * *° *»o on this road which we
b, ; ,pe 1° h , aV î l 0 "® 'c* COnil '*r"T
E ' } duP ,°" t C ° t " pa " y V ,hr , 0Ps1 '
' h * ' : ° u f rt f ay °' " r r . IfTÏ 'tU Ihote
part .mni! bin.
^ OTK. T \\ O RtTlflll MlllR WOT© (lit flOM Tl
*"■" we arc about to finish the grading
of the duPont road lending through
Ashley, which was held up ins, fall
, or want of i abor Thp roR(1( , nPar
Wonddalo and that vicinity were in
bad „ happ but nrP now ln falr , y * oml
ccndlt i on . william Swift donated
BoniP B j x (ß> carloads of slag, which
were p U t on the Banning road,
Pnrru IIITVnDl ., n
M,U (ni - Eh " »
H. H. Lamborn, Supervisor.
j Receipts.
Balance on hand April 1st,
» 9 » 2 .
Cash received—
Western Union Tele
graph Co.
Del. & Atlantic Tele
phone Co.'....
American Telephone Co
Taxes .
$ 2,511.16
12.00
39.51
45.82
8,310.97
Total .
Disbursements.
Labor .
Hauling .
Materials .
Miscellaneous Road Ac
count .
Overpaid Taxes .
Total . .
I Balance on hand April 1st.
1913 .
$10.919.46
.... 3.116.13
.... 2.417.36
.... 2,067.55
40.00
11.67
.$ 7.641.71
$ 3.277.75
Much of our work this season in
this hundred also was taken up In
repai.-ing the damages of last year's
. storms. We however scraped about
I forty-five (45) miles of road, but
fortunately did
un
not get dragged
those which could be bettered
In this hilly country, principally for
want of horses and labor,
hundred (600) yards of ditches
even
About five
were
were dug and many wash-outs filled
up. We replaced one old bridge with
a new re-lnforced concrete one and
repaired over twenty-five plank
Some few culverts were repaired and
twenty (20) new metal ones put in
About two (2) miles of road in all
In different parts of the hundred
re-surfaced with gravel.
Otll-S
were
The super
visor's job in this hundred is not
easy one. as he has many steep roads
to look after and to repair after each
heavy rain. We used about five thou
sand (5000) feet of lumber, thlrty
'■>ur barrels of cement and fifty
pounds of dynamite.
NEW CASTLE HUNDRED.
Charles M. Appleby. Supervisor.
Receipts.
Balance on hand Aprfl J. 1912.$4,006.70
any
Cash received:
Western Union Tele
graph Co.
Del. Sr Atlantic Tele
phone Co..
Diamond State Telephone
5.10
36.70
5.701
40.00
484 00
257.60
.... 861.16 I
-1
.$5,171 12*
o
33.180.27
. . , ,
We have a good working balance i
in this hundred, although much work
has been done. We have scraped
twenty-one miles of road and dragged
twenty-five miles (25) several j
ftlmes and some stretches five times
IThree (3) reinforced concrete,
corresponding 1
Co
7 37
Taxes
4.296.52
Total .
Disbursements.
.$8,351.39
.$1,704.011
. 1,004.34 I
. 1,324.31
Labor .
Hauling .
Materials .
Overpaid taxes
Miscellaneous road account..
Hare's Bridge .
School House Bridge
Cut-off Bridge .
Total .
Balance on hand April 1,
1913 .
bridges, with their
wing-walls and floors, were built by
contract, and sjx (6) repaired. Eight
(8) metal culverts were put In and
three (3) new plank ones and four
(4) repaired. We resurfaced one-half
mile of road with gravel, one-half
mile with oyster shells, fifteen hun
dred (1600) feet with cinders and one
thousand (1000) feet with stone, and
cut down four (4) hills. We used 306
feet of metal culvert pipe, 2400 feet of
lumber, 5700 bushels of oyster shells,
310 tons of stone and 650 loads of
gravel. The roads were kept in gen
eral good condition by the road drags.
PENTADER HUNDRED.
W. K. Brooks, Supervisor.
Reeelpta.
Balance on hand, April 1,
1912 .
Cash received—
Western Union Tele
graph Co.
Del. & Atlantic Tele
phone Co.
Taxes .
$ 1,728.62
1.20
30.72
3,973.72
Total ....
Disbursements.
.$ 6,734.16
Lahor ...$ 2.281.66
Hauling . 1,230 52
Materials . 1,086.19
Bond . 300.00
Interest on hoods . 36.00
Miscellaneous road account 40.00
Repairs to carriage, caused
by obstruction ! .
9.60
Total ..
Balance on hand, April 1,
1913 .. ....
This is a very Tiard
$ 4,983.87
$750.29
hundred to
keep In gflod condition, with the com
paratively small amount of road tax
money available and the long road
One part of the hundred Is
flat, necessitating heavy
mileage,
low and
ditches along the roadway for drain |
Ing, while the other part Is hilly and
abrupt. We have repaired thirty-five
(36) plank bridges and fifteen (15)
old culverts: have rebuilt three (3)
plank
twenty-seven (27) culverts with plank
trunks, and twenty-one metal pipes.
About seventeen (17) miles of road
have been scraped and afterward
dragged.
dug, and a large number of
filled. A short distance of road was
stoned. Five (6) hills were cut down
and the grade lessened.
bridges and have replaced
Several miles of ditches
holes
RED LION HUNDRED.
S. L. Beck. Supervisor.
Receipts.
Balance on hand April 1,
1912
91.606.73
Cash received—
Western Union Tele
graph Co.
Diamond State Telephone
1.60 I
14.70
. 2,788.78 1
Co.
Taxe s .
Total ..
Disbursements.
Labor ..
Hauling ..
Materials ..
Town of St. George«..
Miscellaneous Road Ac
count .
Corblt Bridge .
Overpaid Taxes .
.$4,411.81
$1,425.03
1,039.42
312.92
100.00
40.00 I
469.00 I
63.02
Total .
Balance on hand April 1.
1913 .
$3,439.39
$ 972.42
The roads In this hundred are in
good shape. We have scraped and |
rounded up over twelve (12) miles of
road, dragged and re-dragged some |
(30) miles and have cleaned out and
re-dug many miles of ditches. We
have built two (2) new re-lnforced!
concrete arch bridges, eight (8) feet |
centres, contract of the Luten Bridge
Co., York, Pa., have repaired two (2) I
large plank bridges and ten (10) cul- I
verts, and have put In six (6) new
metal culvert pipes. Three hilltops |
have been cut off and much other road i
work done.
ST. GEORGES HUNDRED.
J. C. Alston, Supervisor.
Receipts.
Balance on hand April 1st,
1912 .
Cash received—
Western Union Tele
graph Co .
Diamond State Tele
$ 5,836.56 I
4.20
23.66
9,348.93 -
20.00
77.40
phone Co.
Taxes .
Rent of Gravel pit ....
Sale of Gravel .
$ 16,310.76
Total ..
Disbursements.
Labor .
Hauling .
Materials .
Overpaid Taxes .
Miscellaneous Road ac
count .
Gravel Pit . .
Town of Odessa .
Town of Middletown .
Collection Charges .*
New Bridge .
Total .
Balance on hand April 1st,
1913 .
Many miles of road In this hundred.
since having been formed up by the
steel scraper, are now kept In fine
condition with the road drag and will
compare very favorably with the
gravel roads of anywhere. This year
we have scraped twenty (20) miles
of road and dragged about twenty-five
miles three and four times, and dug
about two (2) miles of ditches, We
2,392.52 I
4.412.44 j
2,221.62 !
2.06 [
40.00
14.00 j
434.32
1,717.35 1
376,68
1,209.20
$ 12.819.19
$ 2.49158
have had built by contract with the |
Luten Bridge Co., on account of I
economy and shortage of labor, three'dug.
(3) very fine re-lnforced concrete !
bridges two of which are quite large,
and have repaired four (4) plank '
ones. Thirty metal culverts were put
in and several repaired. We resur
faced with limestone about 1-8 mile of -
toad from Port Penn to Delaware
(City and gravelled short distances on
The roads have been well worked.
both by the scraper and drags and
are In a very fine shape generally.
According to the law to that effect,
we have paid over to the towns or 1
Middletown and Odessa all the road
taxes collected within their limits. |
(Ws thp expenses f or collectine and
> less me expenses lor conrcung ana ,
»'»justing» amounting to $1.717.35 for,
Middletown and $434 32 for Odessa. I
ti,„ ,,s„* .U. i
The law requires that this money be j
expended for the improvement of the j
streets and for that only. j
other roads and cut down and graded '
seven (7) hills.
WHITE CLAY ( REEK HUNDRED.
Forrest Lovett Sunervlsor
n . | n ._ ' p r '
1
Balance on hand April 1st,
1912 .%..$2,094.54
Cash received—
Western Union Tele
graph Co.■....$ 7.20
Del. & Atlantic Tele
phone Co.;.
American Telephon^ Co
Taxes . .
Work on Race bridge...
Work on Del. College
Field .
16.78
13.09
3.720 6s
16.00
$5.889.44
Total ..
Disbursements.
. 1,777.83
. 406.35
. 871.27
11.45
■ 10.00
Labor .
Hauling ...
Materials ..
Overpal r Taxes
Miscellaneous road account..
Christiana Bridge, Luten
Bridge Co. ...
Drinking Trough .
172T0
6.00
Total .
Balance on hand April 1st.
1913 .
.*$3,284.70
$2,604.74
The upper end of this hundred Is
a very hard one to work. The roads
are narrow, overgrown and
steep, and even with the best of care
are subject to many wash-outs, which
need constant attention. About twen
ty-five (25) miles of road were scrap
very
a
IfieSfioßT/iat Sam)6a Money '
SALE
OF
SAMPLE SHOES
Pumps and Oxfords
6?A
u
y'
v
For Men, Women and Boys
95
c
Oxfords and
Pumps
I
In All Uatbors, Stylos
and Slzaa tar
Oxfords and Pumps
All Stylsi and All Loathers for
Men, Women
and Boys
WOMEN and MISSES
Owing to the back
ward season and our
enormous stock we
have decided to make
a sacrifice of our sam -
pie Oxfords and
Pumps and are offer
ing same at ridicu
lously low prices.
»
These
sample
Oxfords and Pumps
are the cream of the
foremost factories of
the world. All styles
and leathers. Do not
neglect this opportun
ity to save money on
your shoe bills.
High-Grade
Oxfords and
Pumps
In tha Newast Stylaa
and Leather*
FOR WOMEN AND
MISSES
Qur Loss, Your Gain
Ride a Flight and Save Money
T
oston Sample Shoe Parlor, Inc.
and Market Streets,
Second Floor.
S. E. Cor. Fifth
Second Floor.
WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.
Open Tuesday and Saturday Evenings.
Elevator and Stairs.
ed and in all some forty (40) miles
dragged and several miles of ditches
We rebuilt seven (7) bridges,
six (6) of timber and one (1) of re
inforced concrete. Twelve (12) bridges
were repaired and eight (8) metal
culverts put in. We also re-surfaced'
over a mile of road with creek gravel
and cut down two (2' hill tops,
MISCELLANEOUS ROAD ACCOUNT.
m2 $ 271.14
Cash received_
From the ten rural
hundreds, $40 each... 400.001
-1
Total .$ 67L14
Disbursements
p r i ntine mntinnerv etc and
* n £ 8tat,oner >' etc '' * na
„]] 0 tj, er expenses used in
county engineer's office..! 430.70
__
. .....
Balance on hand. April 1,
1913 .$ 240.44
Recapitulation.
Appoquinlmink hundred—Receipts.
* 4 - 890 26 » disbursements, $4,117.61;
balance. $772.74.
Blackbird hundred—Receipts. $4,
880,23; disbursements. $4,531.47; bal
^[„nce** on hand
April 1,
ancc. $348.76.
Brandywine hundred—Receipts, $15,*
1776.36; disbursements.
balance, $1,662.99.
$14,213.37;
Christiana hundred—Receipts. $15,-1
247.24; disbursements. $12,821.87; E>al
M»»J Creek Hundred—Receipts, IJ-0,
ance, $2,425.37.
21.15,919,46; disbursements, $7,641.71; bal
ance, $3,277.76.
New Castle hundred—Receipts, $8,
351.39; disbursements, $5,171.12; bal
ance. $3.180.27.
Pencader hundred—Receipts. $6,
TB4.16: disbursements, $4,983.87; bal
ance. $750.29.
Red Lion hundred—Receipts, $4,
411.81; disbursements, $3,439,39; bal
ance, $972.42.
St. Georges Hundred—Receipts,
$15,319.76; disbursements, $12,819.19;
balance, $2,491.56.
White 'Clay Creek hundred—Re
ceipts. $5,889.44; disbursements, $3,
284.70; balance, $2,604,74.
Total receipts. $91.411.09; total dis
bursements. $73,024.20; total balance,
$18,386 89
RECAPITULATION OF LIABILITIES.
Appoquinlmink hundred—1907, $940,
36; 1908, $337.37.
Blackbird hundred—1907, $187.43.
Brandywine hundred—1907, $10,496,
34; 1908, $7,566.21; 1909, $6,314 61;
1910, $3,749.23; 1911, $1,000.
Chrlstlana hundred—1907, 34,289.23;
1908, $3.200; 1909. $2,000.
Mill Creek hundred -1907, $4,108.57;
1908, $3,000; 1909, $2.500; 1910, $1,000.
New Castle hundred—1907, $3,769.
82: 1908. $2,000; 1909, $1,000.
Pencader hundred—1907, 4,114.64 ;
1908. $2,670; 1909, $2,370; 1910, $1,600;
1911, $1,200; 1912. $900; 1913, $600.
Red Hon hundred—1907, $900; 1908,
$300.
St. Georges hundred—1907, $5,187.35;
1908 - 1909, *3,000; 1910, $2,000;
'1911, $1,000.
White ^lay Creek hundred—1907,
» 9P8, *1*000; 1909, $1,000;
1907, $36,060.67; 1908, $-.4,
V?.'i 1VoV?* «q™- 1 ,™*»* 9 «™ '" 3i
ih* 3,0 V 0,
Note—You will notice that with the
exrr-ntlon of tbe two f°l bonds of three
h o n d r ed dollars ($°300 each of Pen
nunarea douars eacn, or ran
cadcr hundred, all of the hundreds are
entirely free from debt
ij Plnar k s
1 W18h to impress on our dirt road
Bupervlsors the importance.of the
work under their charge. When you
cons! 1er that according to the United
States Road Department report there
are about 2,200.000 miles of road in
the United States and only 200,000
miles of this improved; and that in
our own county there are over 1,000
miles of road, of which only 140
rniles are improved; which, by the
way is a greater per cent, of roads itn
proved than any other state or county,
except In rural district of large clt
tes you can readily see that we have
yet many miles of dirt roads and will
have for many years to come, so that
the supervisor's job of taking care of
these roads is locally of probably
more importance than that of the su
pervisors of the stone roads. The im
proved roads are always buflt. to form
and grade, and the ditches made, and
can be kept in condition with the
proper amount of money and a good
system of maintenance, but the dirt
roads with their relative values to the
community, and their many ramifica
tions leading to all parts of the coun
try over hills and hollows, some with
many farms on it, others with only
three or four and some with only one
house on It, often at the extreme end;
Is a very different problem, for the
one house road Is of ae much Impor
tance to its owner as the other roads
are to theirs, but naturally will not
need so much attention as the wear
and tear is not so great, and besides
the old rule of the greatest good for
the greatest number must be born In
mind. These roads require not only
maintenance, but with their bad
drainage, steep hills, land washes
from the adjacent field, etc., constant
repair. The dirt road supervisor
should therefore understand that his
position is a very important and vital
one to the community and should give
big beat thought and energy to solving
the different problems presented In
his work.
HOUSE DRAINAGE ALONG PUBLIC
HOADS.
In many of our small villages and
adjacent urban towns It is the custom
to empty the house slops Into the road
gutter by pipes or otherwise. This
practice Is very deleterious to the
road, ugly to the sight and smell, and
I believe unsanitary. I sincerely hope
those who are now doing this will
find a way to eliminate it.
MACHINERY.
At the end of the road season, all
Supervisors should thoroughly oil and
paint their road machinery and get
it under cover until the following
spring even If It be necessary to pay
rent for them.
LABOR.
The labor question has been a very
serious one with us for the last two
years. Most all available men being
employed by contractors at a better
wage scale, we hope however that
the farmers may be better able to
help us this year than last, but un
fortunately for the roads the farmer
is generally very busy In good road
working season.
WIDE TIRES.
Narrow Tires as every one knows
are destroyers of good roads, while
Wide Tires are makers of good roads.
We now have a law, passed by the
last General Assembly, giving as a
bonus for tires not less than Four
(4) inches wide a rebate of One (1)
Dollar per wheel yearly from the
road tax of any one. provided the
ampunt Is not greater than three
fourths (3-4) of their road tax. I
sincerely hope that many persons us
ing our roads will take advantage of
this law, as It would mean better
roads and less money expenditure for
repair and maintenance.
Youra very respectfully,
Jas. Wilson,
County Engineer.