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GOOD ROADS AND THE ELWELL LAW. 



By Sfnatok Ja^.ifs T. Elwkll of Mitnieapolis. 



The Elwell Road J.aw was enacted for the purpose of builchntj 

 leading" roads thronghout the State of Minnesota, and to do it 

 in a large and comprehensive manner, so as to connect city with 

 cit}', and village with village, and to give io the citizens of each 

 county easy access to their market towns. 



The general plan embodies the idea of getting" into one lump 

 sum for each county of the state, enough money at one time to 

 build the main arteries of travel for each county. 



\\y its provisions any county in the state may build $200,000 

 worth of good, permanent road which will not only aid the farm- 

 ers of such county in getting to their market town, but will also 

 be an example to them of the kind and character of road which 

 can and should be bndt to connect witli these main arteries. 



GHNERAI, PROVISIONS AUK SIMI'LE. 



The general provisions oi' the bill are sim])le. although the ma- 

 chinery ?s quite lengthy and explicit, as that feature of the bill is 

 provided for by adopting the main features of Chapter 230 of 

 the 1905 Ditch Law. Under the provisions of the Elwell law, 

 the state pa}'s one-h.-ilf the cost of the road, the county one-(iuar- 

 ter, and the benefited property the other quarter, each having 

 ten years in which to make their respective payments, 'i'he 

 county is made the financial agent and it issues the bonds or 

 certificates of indel>tedness of the county payable in from one 

 to ten years for the entire cost of any and all roads to be built 

 within the county limits, thus providing for the payment of any 

 and all roads to be built under this law. 



Each road or system of roads to be built will have the advan- 

 tage of having the cash on lian<l to ])ay for the improvements as 

 they are made. 



All roads, after a careful survey and ])roper advertisement, 

 will be let to the lowest bidder who will give the proper bonds 

 assuring the county and the State llighway Commission that the 

 work will be done satisfactordy, and in accordance with the ])lans 

 and specifications of the .State llighwa}' Commission. 



It is expected inuler this plan of i)roce(lure to interest large 

 contractors who have the i)roi)rr machinery and ecinipment of 

 every kind for grading and building roads, thereby saving the 

 county under our i)resent ])lan of building roads from 33^? to 50 

 per cent, 'i'he time has passed when the farmer desires to work 

 on the road, as he can make more money by attending" to his 

 farm duties, and the man of large experience with proper nia- 

 chinerv can do the work for from one-third to one-half ^A what 

 it will cost the farmer to dtj the same work. 



