MICHIGAN 



ROADS 



FORESTS 



DETROIT, MICH., JULY, 1910. 



Michigan State Good Roads Association 



P. T. COLGROVE, Hastings, President. N. P. HULL, Diamondale, Vice-President. 



THOMAS SATTLER, Jackson, Secretary and Treasurer. 



EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 

 H. S. EARLE, Detroit. P. T. COLGROVE, Hastings. W. W. TODD. Jackson. 



$2,000,000 TO BE ASKED 



FOR WAYNE ROADS 



A big delegation of members of the Detroit 

 Board of Commerce made a tour of inspection 

 nf Wayne county roads a few days ago, and 

 as a result the tax-payers of the ccunty will 

 be asked to bond for $2,000,000 for the per- 

 manent improvement of all of the unimprov- 

 ed highways in the county. 



The route lay through nine townships, and 

 covered about 76 miles. Horatio S. Earle. fath- 

 er of good roads in Michigan, led the way, 

 with County Rend Commissioners Hagger- 

 ty, Murdoch and Hines. At the numerous 

 stops made along the journey, thrcngs of vil- 

 lagers gathered t. meet the Detroit aggrega- 

 tion. Farmers who, a few years ago, branded 

 the good roads aaitation as a movement which 

 aimed to benefit only the automobilists, 

 cheered loudly when the triangle route was 

 explained. 



At Rockwood there was a luncheon given 

 by the villagers and some speeches. President 

 Abner E. Lamed of the Detroit Board of 

 Commerce, expresed himself in favor of the 

 county being bonded for $2,000.000 to put 

 all of the roads in the county in first class 

 condition at once. 



H. S. Earle outlined his plans for the con- 

 struction of a road which will practically 

 complete a good roads system in Wayne coun- 

 ty. 



"Fifteen years ago hardly an audience would 

 listen to a good roads speech," he said. 

 "Xinety per cent of those who heard me talk 

 no doubt would have lynched me if they 

 hadn't feared the law. Now you can see 

 how things have changed since the county 

 good roads commission has begun its work. 



"This plan of constructing a continuous 

 road from Detroit to Rockwod, to Flat Rock, 

 to New Boston, to Belleville, to Canton, and 

 thence through to County Line on Michigan 

 avenue provides for the issuance of $2,000.- 

 000 of county bonds, to be placed in the hands 

 of the county treasurer. The money will be 

 then placed at the disposal of the county road 

 commisioners. Two million dollars ordinari- 

 ly will pay for 200 miles of road, but figuring 

 for bridges needed. I should say that we 

 could get at least 150 miles of good high- 

 ways. 



"The roads in Wayne county are in such 

 shape that few persons know much of the 

 county in which they live. I could ask many 

 Detrciters if the Huron river ran through 

 Wayne county. They wouldn't know. The 

 roads which skirt the beautiful scenery of 

 that stream are not traveled because of their 

 condition. 



"If these improvements are made, Wayne 



Comity will no longer have to bow her head 

 in shame tn other counties where good roads 

 are an established institution." 



The proposition to bond will be submitted 

 to the tax-payerb at the November election. 



GOOD ROADS EXHIBIT AT STATE FAIR 



The Michigan state fair is the first in the 

 oountrv to arrange for a good roads exhibit. 

 Sunt. V. V. Green, who is managing the im- 

 plement and machinery division of the com- 

 ing state fair, rr anv months ago determined 

 low the suggestion made at a national 

 pood roads convention at Cleveland and to 

 present a good roads exhibit which would be 

 a credit to the s'ate of Michigan. 



At the National Roads convention at Cleve- 

 land, where all tVe prominent good roads offi- 

 cials of the country were gathered, it was 

 recommended that state fairs take up the 

 -ork of snreadim. good roads information 

 :hrouh the medium of elaborate exhibits. 

 Mr. Green made application to the national 

 rrnorl ropds department at Washington, and 

 Georcc T). Marshall, superintendent of road 

 construction, wns secured to direct the good 

 road= exhibit at the coming state fair to be 

 he'd in September. 



Macadamized and gravel roads will be il- 

 lustrated and the methods of preparing ma- 

 terial will be lectured upon and explained 

 fully bv Mr. Marshall and his assistants. Mix- 

 ers, rollers, sfone Dreaders and. in fact, every 

 type of improved machinery will be shown. 



ting the highway in such fine condition, and 

 no extra work. 



The King drag has been used in Missouri 

 for a number of years in good road making. 

 Its use has made otherwise impassable gumbo 

 roads passable. The same manner of treat- 

 ing country roads has also been adopted by 

 other states in the union, the work being done 

 bv the farmers with much profit to them- 

 selves. 



TRYING OIL IN JACKSON. 



Jackson city is trying oil on its dirt streets. 

 Seymour street is the first one to receive 

 treatment. Sixteen barrels of oil, each con- 

 taining fifty gallons, were put on this street, 

 after which it was lightly sprinkled with fine 

 ernvel and closed for forty-eight hours. 



The cost of preparing and maintaining such 

 a roar' is less than the ordinary cost of water- 

 ing alone, and the work of rebuilding the 

 roads. 50 per cent less. The oil acts as a 

 binder, is elastic and prevents the road from 

 breaking into h.V-'s by tire suction, while the 

 work rf keeping down the dust is minimized. 



The oil costs ,\ little over 3 cents a gallon 

 bv the tank car. and the work wil! cost the 

 property owners ?24. instead of $36. 



KING DRAG FOR CITY DIRT ROADS. 



The matter of dragging city dirt roads with 

 what is known as the Kin? draa: may be tried 

 out in Lansing. The scheme ha= worked out 

 snlendidly on Mr. Hope avenue, from Logan 

 street west. The Mt. Hope road, which has 

 been made by auto testers with the King drag, 

 is one of the finest in the vicinity of Lans- 

 ine. Tt is compn-ativelv 'evel ,ind hard as a 

 rock. There was no expense attached to put- 



YPSILANTI IS AWAKENED. 



A number of business men of Ypsilanti are 

 advocating the starting of the building of a 

 macadam or some other suitable road between 

 Ypsilanti and Detroit. It is more than likely 

 that the matter will be brought before the 

 township board <if Ypsilanti at an early date. 

 The plan will be to build a state reward road 

 similar to that being built by Wayne county 

 outside of Detroit, with which it will even- 

 tually connect. 



FAVORS CONCRETE ROADS. 



Deputy State Highway Commissioner p . F 

 Rogers, of Lansintr. had a conference recently 

 at Saginaw with W. R. Burt. County Roart 

 Commissioner A. Green and a committee 

 composed of Supervisors Pero, Gugel, Alderton 

 and Citv Engineer Roberts. The conference 

 was mainly along the line of material to be 

 used in building roadways in Saginaw county 

 -,nd had considerable to do with the gift of 

 SlOi^OO which Mr. Burt ^ave to the county 

 as an incentive to make bett;r roadways. 



It is understood that the gift will facilitate 

 the laying of stone which will be imported 

 from upper peninsula minrries, and which 

 would be a hardship on the county exchequer 

 if the money had not been forthcoming. Com- 

 missioner Rogers and County Commissioner 

 Green made a flying trip over some of the 

 new roadways in the county. Mr. Rogers is 

 of the opinion that concrete is the best ma- 

 terial for lavintr new roadways. The ma- 

 terial is much the same a used in the con- 

 crete beds for street paying, only richer in 

 cement. The material gives a typical street 

 pavement of lasting durability in the county 

 districts. 



The good roads work in Michigan^ is go- 

 ing on rapidly, according to Commissioner 

 Rogers, and he says the state is being netted 

 with a fine system of county highways. 



Preparations are being made to build good 

 roads frcm Farmington to Northville and 

 from Northville to Waterford. The Grand 

 River road from Detroit to Farmington is 

 being built anew and from Wayne to Ply- 

 mouth, but the roads are in a wretched shape 

 around and in Northville. Crushed stone will 

 he used and efforts will be made to secure the 

 state's he]p in building roads. 



