MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



GOOD ROADS PROGRESS 



IN MICHIGAN STATE 



Lake County. 



The people of Lake county have been building 

 better roads for twenty years and in conse- 

 quence have a system of highways that makes 

 the marketing of crops an easy matter. Since 

 the state adopted the plan of paying a reward 

 upon highways built in accordance with detailed 

 specifications, Lake county has constructed thir- 

 teen and a half miles of approved roadways and 

 has received $10,910 in rewards. 

 Wexford County. 



The Wexford county highway commissioners 

 have mapped out their road building campaign 

 for 1911 and will begin active work as soon as 

 weather is favorable in the spring. According 

 to Commissioner Haynes the first labor to be 

 performed is the completion of the two miles 

 graded last year near Stone Ledge lake in Clam 

 Lake township. For the covering on this strip 

 of road crushed stone will be used. This will 

 be followed by completing the mile of road in 

 Cherry Grove township passing through Mitchel 

 Park. The commissioners have thus far been 

 unable to secure stone with which to cover this 

 strip. They are offering $4 per cord for them 

 delivered on the ground. Work will be done 

 by the day as heretofore. 



Gratiot County. 



The supervisors of Gratiot county have voted 

 to submit the question of adopting the county- 

 road system to the electors and it will be voted 

 on the first Monday in April. 



Jackson County. 



The members of the Henrietta Center Farm- 

 ers' Club do not approve of the action of the 

 majority of the board of supervisors in refusing 

 to submit to the voters of Jackson county the 

 proposition of good roads, and have adopted 

 the following straightforward resolutions : 



"Whereas, The building of good roads in 

 Jackson county is the most important question 

 before the farmers today, and the county sys- 

 tem, wherever it has been tried, is the only sat- 

 isfactory solution of the road problem; and, 



Whereas, A bill has already been introduced 

 in the legislature for an appropriation of $250,- 

 000 for the highway department, and the tax- 

 payers of Jackson county will be obliged to pay 

 their full share of this tax, and it will be used 

 by other counties to build their roads, and we 

 receive no benefit from said appropriation; 

 therefore, 



"Resolved, By the Henrietta Center Farmers' 

 Club, that we most emphatically condemn the 

 act of the fifteen members of the board of su- 

 pervisors who refused to submit the proposi- 

 tion to the voters of the county, and consider 

 said act arrogant, arbitrary, unwise, undemo- 

 cratic, unprogressive and un-American. 



"T. J. SPEARS, President 

 "LOUISE REED, Secretary." 



Dickinson County. 



Dickinson county built 2.426 miles of macadam 

 highway at a cost of $6,724 a mile last year. 

 Similar righways in Marquette county cost $8,- 

 826 per mile. Dickinson county will receive re- 

 wards from the state amounting to $2,426. 

 Mason County. 



The taxpayers of Mason county, western 

 Michigan, will vote on April third next, upon 

 the issuing of bonds in the sum of $105,000 for 

 the purpose of extending macadam and gravel 

 roadways to the County limits. The people of 

 this county have been building better roads for 

 twenty years and in consequence have a system 

 of highways that makes the marketing of crops 

 an easy matter. Since the state adopted the plan 

 of paying a reward upon highways built in ac- 

 cordance with detailed specifications this county 

 has constructed thirteen and a half miles of im- 

 proved roadway and has received $10,910 in 

 state rewards. 



Branch County. 



Deputy State Road Commissioner Frank Rog- 



HAVE WE GOOD ROAD MATERIAL FOR MICHIGAN? 



WELL 250,OOO TONS PER ANNUM 



OUR BUSINESS IS THAT OF PRODUCING 



CRUSHED STONE and SLAG 



Stone quarry for Michigan shipments at Monroe, Mich. 

 Slag Plant for Michigan shipments at Detroit, Mich. 



If your community contemplates road building or the repair 

 of roads, get in touch with us and we will be glad to furnish in- 

 formation and prices for any delivery you may desire. 



THE FRANCE SLAG COMPANY 



414 Ford Building DETROIT, MICH. 



ers attended the Branch county farmers' insti- obstacles in the way of the bill, and, in fact, it 



tute recently and gave an extended address on has been reported on favorably. Practically the 



good road building. He said he much preferred entire upper peninsular delegation in the house 



the county system to that of the township, as in favor the measure, and Alger county seems likely 



the latter plan no system for a continuous good to get a decided boost and a much needed one, 



highway would be carried out. While advising Ionia County. 



the farmers to adopt the county system as the Jh is to ^ a big campaign this season for 



best and most economical, he sharply criticized d roads leadi * ^ ^ fr s om ^JJ 



the Branch board ol supervisors who refused direction A wide Canvass made among business 



to permit the county to vote on e proposition men and farmers shows a st sentiment in 



this spring, stating that .eir right to fayor Q{ this improvement aad ^ e aattu will 



undoubtedly be brought up at a meeting of both 



Roscommon County. the village and township boards within a very 



Roscommon county is commencing to be proud sh F* time. 



of her gravel roads. About ten miles were built , T, he sentiment in favor of good roads for Port- 

 last vear, and over thirty miles is building this land * aS arous / d ^ OU S a few of the business 

 year.' If the work is kept up at the increasing men shortly after the new Bellevue road west 

 ratio, the county will soon be graveled on every of Portland, m Orange, Berlin and Ionia town- 

 section line shlps was bu Tne cost buucun 8 th e road 

 , . _ was approximately $1,700 per mile. The state 

 Kalamazoo County. appropriated for its construction $500 for every 

 Petitions for awards on 32 miles of good roads ml i e . The townships of Orange, Berlin and Ionia 

 were filed recently by County Road Commis- ^ch appropriated $500 toward the job and the 

 sioner Bryant with the state good roads depart- res t o t the money was contributed by public 

 ment, the work to be done during the ensuing spirited citizens. The beginning of the road, which 

 year. This covers the improvements planned in ; s a tn fl e over y 4 m n^ i ong> j s at Tremayne's 

 the 16 townships of Kalamazoo county and cov- Corners. It passed through Berlin township and 

 ers 28 miles of gravel roads, on which the state on to tj, e Dexter street bridge approach in Ionia 

 allows $500 a mile, and four miles of stone ^ty. 



roads, the allowance being $1,000 a mile. ih e road is one of the finest specimens in the 



Genesee County entire state and farmers prefer taking its course 



j t. -U. u T-> to Ionia rather than coming to Portland over 

 The mile of state reward road built by Davi- mudd roads u jg for ^ ^^ thtat ^ local 



son township, Genesee county, during last merchants have been aroused to activity, and are 



year has been accepted by the state and the itating the mO vement for good roads leading 



township has received the $500 reward, besides gJJ * directions into Port iand. The town has 



about $1,000 which will be returned to that en)ugh public irited dtizens wno would un . 



doubtedly contribute largely to the construction 



Cass County. of good roads and with the assistance of several 



The board of supervisors by a vote of 10 to 8, neighboring townships, there is no reason why 

 refused to submit the question of a county road t he project will not prove a success, 

 system to the voters of the county. Marquette County. 



Oakland Countv The board of supervisors' annual report shows 



_ .. , , * total expenditure of $162,8*7.50 by the county 



Considerable effort is being made at Holly to road coramission of wh kh $41,741.02 was ex- 

 secure the building of at least one short section ded duri the 1910 The tota j gxpendi- 

 of roadway which will meet the requirements of * ure was distnbuted ^ follows: Office and gen- 

 the state road department and secure the bounty. era , expenses $8,316.55; engineering, $10,218.77; 

 A gravel road will probably be built at a cost of e ; ^ $22>551 . 75; re pairs to equipment, $1,- 



863.60 ; winter work on roads, $382.67 ; Negaunee- 



Alger County. Marquette road, $51,750.43; Humboldt-Republic 



There seems to be every likelihood of the bill road, $21,053.91; Harvey-Green Garden road, 

 introduced in the legislature providing for state $32,457.14; Witch Lake road, $8,786.60; Ishpem- 

 aid in the construction of a 25-mile macadam ing west road, $5,099.20; Skandia-Chatham road, 

 team road between Grand Marais and Seney be- $64.80; Chocolay township road, $262.08. Total, 

 ing passed. There seem to be no constitutional $162,807.50. 



