MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS. 



5- 



Road Work by Convicts. 



The following is a copy of a letter sent by 

 a jailor in Virginia to the manager of a con- 

 vict road force in that state, and shows con- 

 clusively that the convicts themselves prefer 

 working on the roads to sitting idle around 

 the jails, or to working inside. 



"You will notice that where your order calls 

 for five men. 1 send you six. Number six is 

 YVooilrow Harris. \Yoodrow Harris came to 

 fter your requisition was in hand and 

 after I had sent you my list. You'll have to 

 take Woodrow Harris. He won't stay here. 

 When the gang of five were leaving us to go 

 u, Woodrow k;-ked up such an infernal 

 row about being left behind that we just had 

 to let him go. He has been with you before, 

 and he says you treat him O. K. He said if 

 we didn't let him go to the convict camp, he 

 would kick holes in the jail. YVe don't want 

 any holes kicked in this jail, so we have let 

 YVoodrow go. and be doggoned to him." 



Harris' sentiments were rythmically ex- 

 pressed by K. M. Johnson, who is connected 

 with the management of the road force, in the 

 following lir 

 "Oh, take me back to the convict camp, 



Put me to work on the grade: 

 I like the scent of the canvas tent 



And the bunk the sergeant made. 

 Just take me out of the pesky jail 



To the camp, and God's fresh air; 

 '\\'ay from this shack where the small "gray- 

 back"' 



Skidoos through my uncut hair. 



''Oh. take me back to the dining tent, 



To feed with the bunch again; 

 Where every man gets a well-filled pan 



And eats till lie gets a pain. 

 Give me a suit of Kentucky jeans, 



The same as 3-011 did before. 

 And I'll serve my time without a whine, 



And chip in a few months more. 



"Take me back to the village of tents, 

 I'm sick of the prison cell: 



I'm an old hobo and I think I know- 

 When I strike a good hotel. 



Please send me hack today, if you can. 

 Just forget about your fee: 



I have been there once and served six months. 

 And the road man's jail suits me." 



Ionia State Reward Roads. 



It is proposed to build three state reward 

 roads out of Belding this season, as follows: 

 One from the city limits on the state road, 

 running east to Green's church in Orleans; 

 the second from the city limits on the. state 

 road, running west through Cook's Corners 

 one mile, and the third from the city limits at 

 the Demorest Corners, running west to the 

 Calkins' or Divine Corners, north to Shaw- 

 Corners, west to Beardslee's, and thence north 

 to the county line. Geo. W. Ellis, of Phila- 

 delphia, has agreed to give toward the first 

 mile of the Greenville road $1.000, for the sec- 

 ond mile $500, and for the third, fourth and i 

 fifth miles $100 per mile. A. N. Belding, of 

 Rockville. Conn., pledged $100 per mile for all i 

 the roads macadamized running out of the 

 city. W. D. Hall guaranteed sufficient stone 

 for construction to be delivered along the line 

 of the road running from Belding to the coun- 

 ty line between Montcalm and Ionia counties. 

 Brinton F. Hall subscribed $300 per mile to- 

 ward the Orleans road, and E. E. Jenks will 

 give $50 toward the Cook's Corners road. 



The committee in charge of the matter con- 

 of Brinton F. Hall, W. L. Reeves and W. 

 D. Hall. 



people all over the nation are anxious for bet- 

 ter highways, and are becoming reconciled for 

 taxes for their improvement. The general 

 government will soon give aid to the states. 

 Our state is getting to the front with rapid 

 strides. After long delay money has been ap- 

 propriated and an able man has been appointed 

 as State Highway Commissioner to see that 

 the funds shall be wisely expended. 



"The right man has been found to take up the 

 work and carry it forward to success. H. S. 

 Earle. State Highway Commissioner, knows 

 no such thing as failure, and so long as he 

 has charge of the work, ably assisted by En- 

 gineer Rogers, we are assured that the good 

 cause will prosper and success is certain. Mich- 

 ing such roads as shall be properly drained 

 and graded. Experience has found the proper 

 appliances for carrying forward the work at 

 greatly reduced cost. 



"The good roads people have great cause 

 for rejoicing at the bright prospects for good 

 roads in the near future. As an early advocate 

 for good roads I feel like repeating with em- 

 phasis what I said in the few closing remarks 

 I made at Buffalo at the Pan-American, sub- \ 

 stantially as follows: 'The good roads cause is 

 prospering as never before and is coming with 

 rapid strides. In the distance, in the morning 

 light we can see it coming with rapid move- 

 ment. Coming, too, on wheels that glide along ' 

 safely, smoothly and swiftly on the improved 

 highway,-- of the nation.' " 



Road Tax Bill. 



Senator Ely's ea.-h road-tax bill was re- 

 ported out favorably by the Senate Taxation 

 Committee, and Highway Commissioner Earle 

 is elated thereat. 



The salient features of this bill are: 



1. No more working out taxes, and no more : 

 cider conventions under shade trees. 



2. Cash tax. divided into two funds, one , 



is expected that as soon as this mile of road 

 1 is completed other roads in the vicinity will 

 immediately be improved. It is the hope of 

 Caro people that within a few years every 

 highway in Tuscola county will be a state re~- 

 ward road. 



Cass City was the leader in the good roads 

 movement in Tuscola county, and last year a 

 mile of stone road was built on a highway run- 

 ning out of that village. Much of the road 

 was built through a swamp district, through 

 which loads could not be hauled at certain 

 seasons of the year. The stone road has en- 

 tirely changed this condition of affairs. The 

 road has transformed the possibilities of the 

 country adjacent to it and greatly reduced the 

 cost of produce to the farmers as it is deliv- 

 ered to the elevators at Cass City. Other sec- 

 tions of road have been built in the same dis- 

 trict, and the interesting part of it is that now 

 the farmers, as well as the citizens of the 

 town, are more anxious for the continuance of. 

 the work than they were at the beginning. 



$250,000 for Good Roads. 



A total of $280,000 is asked for the cause of 

 good roads in Michigan the ensuing two \ 

 The department has been in existence two 

 years and $90.000 was experimentally appro- 

 priated. Senator Ely, father of the good roads 

 law, introduced the bill for the next appripri- 

 ation. It carries $100.000 the first year and 

 $150.000 the second, to be paid out in rewards 

 to townships constructing new roads, and in 

 addition. $15.000 a year for the expenses of 

 the department. Commissioner Earle has sent 

 Senator Ely a letter showing that with appli- 

 cations already filed and an estimate of those 

 to be filed for rewards during the present year. 

 $171.000 would be needed the first year alone 

 if all demands were satisfied. 



Prison Rock Crushing Plant. 



on roads henefitting property taxed the other c 



may direct in improving bridges and 

 highways in any part of the township. 



3. A cut in taxes of 33% per cent. While 

 it has been possible to levy a tax of 1 per 

 cent statute labor and one-half of 1 per cent in 

 cash, this bill cuts off one-third, making it 

 possible only to !<>vy one-half of 1 per cent foi 

 road repair and one-half of 1 per cent for per- 

 manent improvement, but it is conceded by 

 everybody that with cash the township high- 

 way commissioner will be able to do three 

 times as much good as with the work tax 

 plan. 



4. The township highway commissioner's 

 wages are raised to $2 a day, and may be more 

 if the township board decides. 



5. The township highway commissioner 

 and one overseer of highways constitute the 

 road department of the township, and there is 

 but one district. 



^,, m the Legis- 

 lature. 



It is proposed to build a penitentiary at Bete 

 Gri>e. where 200 acres of land has been offered 

 the state free, erect a quarry, rock crushing 

 machinery and dock facili 

 about 100 of the convicts 

 prisons on the contract system. 



The plan is to sell the crushed rock to- 

 municipalities for 50 cents per ton, and the 

 claim is that the institution will be self- 

 supporting. 



Good Roads Cause Prospers. 



S. S. Bailey, of Grand Rapids. sa> 

 "The good roads cause is prospering as 

 never before in nearly every state in the Union. 

 All the states are increasing their appropria- 

 tion for the betterment of the highways. Ex- 

 perience shows the wisdom of doing so. The 



Tuscola's Highways. 



Tuscola. at its township meeting, voted to 

 purchase two acres of gravel land at $300 an 

 acre, and it is expected that will be used on the 

 roads of the township. 



The township of Aimer voted a two mill tax- 

 to be used to build good roads in that town- 

 ship. 



By a vote of 201 to 59 the township of Elm- 

 wood voted in favor of a good roads proposi- 

 tion. 



Ellington also fell into line and will make a 

 start this year in the improvement of its high- i 

 ways. 



Arbela voted down the proposition to ex- i 

 tend the Millington gravel road. 



Contracts will shortly be closed for the 1 

 building of the first mile of stone road to be i 

 constructed out of Caro, Tuscola county. It. 



The Board of Public Works of Cadillac is. 

 formulating a plan whereby it hopes to greatly 

 improve the unpaved streets in that city. The 

 board has found that the method of claying 

 and graveling streets was not only expensive, 

 but unsatisfactory. The gravel to be obtained 

 is poor, the clay works up through the sand 

 and fine gravel, and during wet weather the 

 streets so constructed are muddy and in some 

 cases almost impassable. The board has asked 

 the council for a road roller. Slag and extra 

 coarse gravel will be used on the streets, and 

 the board expects excellent results. 



The Agricultural College state reward road 

 out of Lansing has practically been put in 

 shape for the season at a small expense. It is 

 the intention to give the highway a coat of oil, 

 which will make it dustless. as well as one of 

 the finest roads in the state. The work this 

 spring was done under the direction of the 

 Lansing Business Men's Association, which is 

 still in charge of the thoroughfare, and taking 

 an interest in its condition. E. S. Porter. J. E. 

 Roe and Charles Downey was the committee 

 in \vhose hands the road was placed. Soon, it 

 is expected, the highway will be turned over 

 to the township authorities. 



