MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



OBJECT LESSON ROADS. 



Government instruction in the method of 

 road-building was continued last year through 

 the medium of object-lesson roads, built at 

 local expense, under the supervision of an en- 

 gineer of the office of public roads. More 

 than one million square yards of road, equiv- 

 alent to about 14 miles of road 15 feet wide, 

 were completed during the year. Viewed as a 

 construction record alone this would consti- 

 tute an excellent showing, but when it is con- 

 sidered that this mileage was made up of 55 

 object-lesson roads, each constituting a mina- 

 ture school of road-building, comprising ten 

 distinct types of construction, it must be evi- 

 dent that this feature of the deparment's work 

 is a powerful factor in the promotion of the 

 public roads. 



An inspection last year of 22 object-lesson 

 roads, aggregating about 22 miles, showed that 

 their effect upon the different localities had 

 resulted in the building of 730 miles of addi- 

 tional roads according to the same methods, 

 and had brought about the expenditure, 

 through bond issues, of $1,500,000. 



Advisory work relating to road problems 

 necessitated about 20 assignments for the de- 

 partment's consulting engineers and experts. 

 This was an increase of about 70 per cent 

 over the amount of like work performed dur- 

 ing the preceding fiscal year. From Secretary 

 Wilson's Report. 



WESTERN MICHIGAN PROGRESS. 



That Western Michigan is truly developing is 

 vouched for by the figures that tell the "Better 

 Roads" story for the territory. During the last 

 year, 1909, for which the figures have been com- 

 piled, nearly a million dollars were raised for 

 highway improvements in the 20 counties mak- 

 ing up the territory. The exact amount was 

 '.12.21, which is the total of the sums raised 

 for road repair, $261,620.33, highway improved 

 $396,300.10, and county road tax $164,541.78. It 

 is a significant fact that ten of the counties have 

 adopted the county system of highway of im- 

 provement and are building their roads with an 

 idea of serving the people as a whole. 



BILL TO INCREASE APPROPRIATION. 



Senator John Leidlein will introduce in the 

 Michigan legislature a bill appropriating $750,000 

 for 1911 and $1,000,000 in 1912 for good roads in 

 Michigan. The appropriation two years ago was 

 $360,000. Senator Leidlein declares, however, 

 that the $2,000,000 issue for good roads in Wayne 

 county and heavy expenditures proposed in other 

 counties makes it certain already that the $1,000 

 per mile bonus paid by the state will multiply 

 up to a million dollars or more in two years to 

 come. 



A 58 STORY BUILDING. 



The Woolworth building to be erected by 

 Frank \Y. Woolworth, the 5 and 10 cent store 

 man, on the block in Broadway, New York, op- 

 posite the Post Office is to be the tallest in the 

 world. Originally the building was to be forty- 

 five stories high, but since Mr. Wpolworth suc- 

 ceeded in buying the Vorick Building at the 

 northwest corner of Broadway and Barclay 

 street, which gave him control of the block up 

 to Park place, it is said that he has decided to 

 increase the height of the building to fifty-eight 

 stories. To questions about the project Mr. 

 Woolworth said that if he improved his Broad- 

 way property it would be with a. building that 

 would be the tallest in the world It is said 

 that it was with this object in view that he ac- 

 quired the Barclay street end of the block. Mr. 

 Woolworth now owns 151 feet on Broadway, 

 192 feet on Borclay street and 197 feet on Park 

 place. On the Park place property the founda- 

 tion for the building as originally planned is 

 under construction. 



The reports have it that the building decided 

 on by Mr. Woolworth will be fifty feet higher 

 than the top of the Metropolitan tower and about 

 140 feet above the Singer tower. It will meos- 

 ure 750 feet from the curb to the top cupolas. 



Presen/es 



Observatory Road, Cincinnati, Ohio, constructed with Tarvia X 



The main building will be thirty stories high 

 and the tower which will be built either over 

 the middle of the Broadway frontage or at the 

 Park place corner will be twenty-eight stories 

 higher. The building, it is said, will cost $7,- 

 500,000. The site has cost $4,500,000. 



POPULATION IN WESTERN MICHI- 

 GAN. 



Western Michigan is nearly as large as the 

 two states of Delaware and Maryland; but its 

 population is but a trifle over one-third that 

 of the eastern states. This comparison gives 

 an idea as to the possibilities for development 

 in this region. 



The number of inhabitants per square mile 

 in Delaware is 94 3 and in Maryland 120.5. In 

 Western Michigan, taken as a whole, the num- 

 ber is 48.6. The density of the population for 

 the nine North Atlantic states is 129.8. 



In only one of the Western Michigan coun- 



ties, Kent, is the density above that for the 

 northeastern states. This county averages 

 181.1 per square mile, and is followed by Ot- 

 tawa with 80.7 and Muskegon with 77.7, all 

 other counties falling below 50 per square 

 mile, until the most sparsely settled section 

 is reached in Lake county, with only 7.8 per 

 square mile. 



A HURON COUNTY OPINION. 



"A good country road is always to be desired 

 and is a source of comfort and convenience to 

 every traveler. Good roads attract population, 

 as well as good schools and churches. Good 

 roads improve the value of the property, so that 

 it is said a farm lying five miles from market, 

 connected by a bad road, is of less calue than an 

 equally good farm lying ten miles^ away from 

 market connected by a good road." Sebewaing 

 Blade. 



