HIGHWAYS— THEIR CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE. 351 



road enters materially into its usefulness as a channel of commerce to a 

 people. It has been said that the grade of a road should never be so steep 

 that a carriage would descend by its own weight on a moderately good sur- 

 face. This rule, according to experiments made, has been found to be one 

 foot rise in thirty to thirty-five feet horizontally. In a less perfect condition 

 it would range from one foot in twenty to one in thirty. But one foot rise in 

 sixteen ought to satisfy this and the coming generations of people, and all 

 our work should be done with this object in view, especially on our much 

 traveled highways. 



BRIDGES, ETC. 



Whenever a bridge or culvert is put in let it be of such material and con- 

 struction that when once completed it will require no further attention. 

 This may be done in small culverts by the use of sewer pipe of sufficient 

 size; and where there is a large flow of water at times. I would spring 

 an arch of stone or hard burned bricks of sufficient dimensions to insure a free 

 passage. When this is once properly done it is forever done, as no planking 

 is decaying or wearing out. 



LAWS. 



I would suggest the following changes in our road laws for your considera- 

 tion: 



First — Let us change the manner of electing our overseers, and elect them 

 in the same manner in which we elect our township officers — by ballot — and 

 then we will get better men for the work to which they are assigned. 



Second — Make the commissioner of highways the custodian of all the roads 

 in the township, and all the pathmasters his aides and subject to his direc- 

 tion. 



Third — Make it the duty of the commissioner to lay out and plan for each 

 pathmaster the work to be done in his district and to give it his personal 

 attention. 



Fourth — Give the commissioner of highways authority, and make it his 

 duty to keep the highways of his township in repair, with full power to pro- 

 vide by tax the necessary funds to meet his expenses. 



Fifth — Make the highway labor tax assessed subject to the order of the 

 commissioner of highways upon twenty-four hours' notice. 



Sixth — Make ten hours a legal day's work upon the highways. 



Seventh — Make it the duty of every town to purchase one or more of the 

 improved road grading and leveling machines, and place them in the charge 

 of the commissioner of highways to be used by his aides in the turnpiking and 

 leveling of the carriage ways. 



Eighth — Amend the law so as to have our roads put in order as soon as 

 absence of frost permits in the spring, and receive constant attention 

 from that time until prevented by the frost in the fall. 



Mr. : How would you protect shade trees if planted in the center 



of the road? 



Mr. Drew : In the same way as at present — by law. 



Senator Sherwood : It strikes me that a more economical method of mak- 

 ing and repairing our roads is to have it all done by contract as in other pub- 

 lic work, and to levy all road taxes just as other taxes are levied — in cash. 



