DETROIT. MICHIGAN, SEPTEHBER, 1907. 



Michigan Road flakers' Association. 



W. W. Todd, Jackson, President; P. T. Colgrove, Hastings, First Vice-P resident ; C. C. Rosenbury, Bay City, Second 

 Vice-P resident; E. N. Hines, Detroit, Secretary; E. B. Smith, Detroit, Treasurer. 



Board of Governors: Royal T. Taylor, Cheboygan; D. L. Case, Detroit; Frank F. Rogers, Lansing; W. W. 

 Trayes, Hancock. 



MICHIGAN'S COUNTY 



ROAD COnniSSIONERS 



^ Alger County Alfred O. Jopling, Munising; 

 Charles Beanlieu, Grand Rapids; Swan An- 

 derson, Limestone. 



Alpena County George \V. Stovel, Hub- 

 bard Lake;; Selden W. Flanders, Flanders; 

 James Briselden, Alpena. 



Baraga County Simon Denomie, Assisins; 

 James McKercher, Michigamme;; Daniel Mc- 

 Millan, Baraga. 



Bay County Hugh Campbell, Bay City; 

 George L. Frank, Bay City; Richard H. 

 Fletcher, Bay City; Fred Kaiser, Kawkavvlin; 

 William Houser, Bay City R F D 1. 



Cheboygan County John B. McArthur, 

 Cheboygan; Mark P. Scott, Rondo; Royal J. 

 Taylor, Manning. 



Chippewa County Henry A. Osborn, 

 Sault Ste. Marie. 



Delta County John Gasman, Bark River; 

 Basilio Lenzi, Defiance; Erick Anderson, Es- 

 canaba. 



Dickinson County William Kelly, Vulcan; 

 James H. Cundy, Iron Mountain; John J. 

 Flanagan, Sagola. 



Gladwin County William H. McCulloch, 

 Gladwin R F D 2; Wallace McCracken, Glad- 

 win, R F D 1; Arden G. Onweller, Beaver- 

 ton, R F D 1. 



losco County John M. Waterbury, Tawas 

 City; C. W. Luce, East Tawas; William J. 

 Grant, Au Sable. 



Iron County J. S. Parks, Crystal Falls; 

 James Long, Iron River. 



Kalkaska County Louis A. Atkins, Kal- 

 kaska; Ira Eckles, Kalkaska; William H. 

 Marshall, KaTkaska. 



Luce County M. E. Beurmann, Newberry; 

 Andrew Carlson, Dollarville; John Fyvie, 

 Helmer. 



Manistee County John W. Bradford, Ar- 

 cadia; James Henderson, Manistee. 



Marquette County W. H. Johnston, Ish- 

 peming; J. E. STierman, Marquette, M. M. 

 Duncan, Ishpeming. 



Mason County Frank W. Harding, Scott- 

 ville; Robert Jameson, Ludington. 



Menominee Count}- George Law, Meno- 

 minee; Charles Kinsella. Spalding; George 

 H. Haggerson, Menominee. 



Muskegon County Fred D. Hoogstraat, 

 Ravenna; Martin Ryerson, Holton; Charles 

 Ellis, Muskegon, R F D 7. 



Saginaw County John W. Ederer, Saginaw. 



Wayne County Cassius R. Benton, North- 

 ville; Henry Ford, Detroit; Edward N. Hines, 

 Detroit. 



GOOD ROADS AND FARMING. 



The encouragement and promotion of agri- 

 culture is one of the principal aims of the 

 various agricultural societies which are at the 

 present time engaged in holding their annual 

 fall fairs. These fairs, more than any other 

 medium, draw attention to the extent of the 

 farming interests and to the need of good 

 highways to promote their growth an exten- 

 sion, and not only in Michigan, but in Wis- 

 consin, in Minnesota, and throughout the coun- 

 try generally 5s the importance of the road 

 question being realized and agitated. 



There is no other question now before the 

 people of this state that means more to them 

 than this question of good ro?.ds. There is 

 hardly a person within the limits of the state 

 whom it does not concern. Good roads are 

 of tremendous importance to city and country 

 alike. The man who pretends to believe that 

 he is not interested in the good roads move- 

 ment simply does not know what he is talk- 

 ing about. He does not know what is for 

 his own good. 



Particularly is this true of the farmers of 

 the state, who will benefit from good roads 

 more than any other class of citizens. There 

 ought to be absolute unanimity among them 

 upon this question. The money that is ex- 

 pended upon the roads, if expended wisely, 

 will return to the property owners of the state 

 many fold. 



The money return, however, does not be- 

 gin to indicate the benefits that will accrue. 

 An increase in property values throughout the 

 state will result .as a matter of course, but 

 there will be still more important results. 

 There will be better educational advantages 

 in rural communities. Graded schools, with 

 the consequent improvement in school facili- 

 ties and economy in expenditures, will be pos- 

 sible when children can go longer distances 

 to school. There will be more social privi- 

 leges. Neighbors will not be separated by 

 stretches of impassable roads. The social life 

 of farm communities will revive. Farmers 

 will be able to keep in close touch with the 

 markets of nearbv towns and with one an- 



other. They will take more interest in public 

 affairs, in the problems of politics and govern- 

 ment. The standards of citizenship will be 

 "raised. The result, in short, will be that the 

 people of the state, as individuals and as po- 

 litical organization, will reap immeasurable 

 gains. Hancock Journal. 



IRON COUNTY ROADS. 



The new Iron county road between Crystal 

 Falls and Iron river will be built. That much 

 was decided at a recent meeting of the county 

 board of supervisors. In all. there will be 

 about eight miles of new road built and seven 

 miles of the old grade put in conformity with 

 the state specifications for roads. 



Iron county has recently acquired a complete 

 modern outfit for road building in the shape 

 of a new crusher, roller, wagons and engine. 

 The machinery will be put up at the poor farm, 

 where a large shed for their housing will be 

 erected and the machinery first used in crush- 

 ing the rocks on the poor farm. The rock 

 will be used upon the present road to fix up 

 some of the bad places. 



CLARE MAKES A START. 



Deputy State Highway Commissioner Rog- 

 ers has formally accepted the mile of road 

 built in Grant, Clare county, by Contractors 

 Taylor & Geeck, of Owosso, and upon which 

 the state will pay $500 of the cost. The road 

 was a difficult one to construct, but the town- 

 ship board and citizens generally feel that the 

 money has been well expended and well 

 earned. 



This is the first mile of state road to be 

 built in Clare county, and will doubtless cause 

 other townships to indulge in similar efforts 

 for the improvement of the highways. 



GOOD ROADS CARRIES. 



The proposal to establish a good roads dis- 

 trict to include the city of Lansing, East Lan- 

 sing, and the townships of Lansing, Meridian, 

 Alaiedon and Delhi, in Ingham county, was 

 carried by a large majority at the election 

 September IT. 



The people of Grand Rapids city, the vil- 

 lage of East Grand Rapids, and the town- 

 ships of Grand Rapids, Paris, Walker and 

 Wyoming voted in favor of a good roads 

 district. Grand Rapids will have to pay 90 

 per cent, of the taxes required to build the 

 roads, but the rate of taxation cannot exceed 

 25 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. The 

 assessed valuation of the townships and vil- 

 lages concerned is about $7.000.000, while that 

 of the city is about $77,000.000. 



