MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



9 



Here is a Potent Factor in all Good Roads Work 



The Watson bottom Dumping Wagon will be found in the forefront of all road improve- 

 ment. There is no wagon built which can show an equal record in durability and strength. 



The points of superiority in Watson Wagons are so many that we cannot outline them in 

 this space. Send forour new catalog today. Investigate Watson Wagons when you are about to purchase any 

 dumping wagons, for they are first in improved features and proven value. 



Watson Wagon Co., Canastota, N. Y. 



Michigan Road Makers' 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. 



COMMENDS FRENCH ROADS. 



Truman H. New-berry, of Detroit, former 

 secretary of the navy, who, with his wife and 

 daughter, has just returned from a motor trip 

 through France and Switzerland, covering 

 about :!,()()() miles, is enthusiastic in his com- 

 mendation of the continental highways ami 

 of the system to which their excellent condi- 

 tion is due. 



"All I ever heard in praise of the roads of 

 France and Switzerland did not prepare me 

 tor the realization," says Mr. Newberry. 

 "They are just like this," and he laid his hand 

 on his Hat-topped desk. 



"The French government system is a splen- 

 did one, which puts three kilometers of high- 

 wa\' in charge of a man and holds him ic-pon 

 sible for its condition. It is built up of 

 crushed stone, I believe, for the most part, 

 but something in its makeup prevents its 

 being dusty. Not only is the road good but 

 the borders of the highway are really two long 

 stretches of parkway. In addition to what the 

 government is doing the Touring Club of 

 France is accomplishing a great deal. This 

 club. I am told, has nearly -100. 000 members, 

 and I understand the income is about $:.'0.000.- 

 000 francs, or $4,00.0(10. a great deal of money 

 in France. Most of this is spent in one way 

 or another on the roads, and quite a large sum 

 is devoted to prize money for the roadmasters. 

 whose sections are the best. This brings 

 about a great deal of rivalry between the road- 

 masters and they are busy to get that prize 

 money." 



$5,000 FOR CULVERTS. 



Ann Arbor council will probably authorize 

 the expenditure this year of $5,000 for replac- 

 ing the culverts along Allen's creek. 



ALGER COUNTY NOT DISCOURAGED. 



There's a little money on hand in the Algcr 

 county road fund enough to enable the 

 County Road Commission to get everything 

 in readiness to push the work to a successful 

 conclusion next year, provided funds can be 

 raised to pay for the work. Last fall it was 

 discovered that the plan of submitting to a 

 vote of the people a proposition to bond the 

 county for the further sum of $90,000 would be 

 illegal. 



The state legislature, recently adjourn -d. 

 passed a law authorizing the submission to 

 the people of the state at the general election 

 next spring, of an amendment to the consti- 

 tution which if carried will enable counties to 



increase bonded indebtedness from three to 

 live per cent of their assessed valuation. 



Now all that needs to be done is for the 

 necessary majority of the people of the state 

 to vote for the proposed amendment to the 

 state constitution and for the necessary ma- 

 jority of the people of Algcr county to vote 

 for the county bonding proposition. Then we 

 shall have sufficient funds to complete our 

 county road. 



KALAMAZOO'S ROAD. 



The Kalamazoo county road commission 

 will recommend that one mile of road in Osh- 

 temo from the Latta farm west on Main street 

 and a mile of the Territorial road through 

 Oshtemo village and two miles of the Center 

 road in Pavilion be reconstructed under the 

 county reward system next year. The recom- 

 mendation will be made to the board of super- 

 visors at its October session and will un- 

 doubtedly be confirmed and the work ordered. 



"The sentiment in favor (if the good roads 

 system is constantly gaining friends in all 

 parts of Kalamazoo county." says Chairman 

 I'.ryant. "I firmly believe that after the system 

 has a fair trial no one will care to go back 

 to the old plan of road construction and mnin- 

 tainance." 



Meantime the two townships. 1'rairie Romh 1 

 and Richland, which voted heavily in favor of 

 good roads, have gotten busy. I'rairie Ronde 

 has about $1.500 in a permanent road fund 

 raised in the last two years by special tax 

 levy. This money is likely to be put into good 

 roads at once, the adoption of the law in this 

 county entitling the township to $500 a mile 

 from the state. It is likely two miles will be 

 built this year. The township is largely level 

 and road building will be less costly than in 

 most of the other townships. 



In Richland one of the leading fanners has 

 announced he will give $100 for the building 

 of a mile of model highway out of the village 

 this year provided $500 is raised in all. He 

 believes the amount can be easily raised. A 

 mile ran be built for $1,200. 



The county cannot spend any money for 

 good roads this year, and three schemes now 

 under way are co-operative efforts by the road 

 commissioners, township officials, the state 

 and various individuals and associations. 



roads leading into the city of Hillsdale. The 

 association means business and will undoubt- 

 edly accomplish a great deal. C. F. Cook, 

 chairman of the committee on good roads, 

 told the members of the association that tlu- 

 roads in the county were never quite so bad 

 as to be impassable, and for that reason good, 

 roads had not met with the agitation they 

 should have. If the farmers had twice as far 

 to draw as they do now and the roads were 

 of clay so that the bottoms dropped out of 

 them occasionally, he said that the farmers 

 would pay more attention to the good roads 

 proposition. He said that the first move 

 toward good roads should be the cutting down 

 of the hills on the principal roads leading into 

 Hillsdale. He said the tops of the hills should 

 be cut down, gutters placed on each side of 

 the highway and then the road graveled, lie 

 had spoken with several of the highway com- 

 missioners in the surrounding townships and 

 they had promised to spend some time on the 

 hills. He said it would be some time before 

 it would be possible to get the farmers to 

 bond for improvement of the highways and so 

 he said that it was important to get wliai 

 work was done on the roads done in a way 

 that would count. 



Get roads leading to the city on which the 

 farmers can trot and they will come to town, 

 but if they have to take a sleepy ride they 

 won't come. 



Hillsdale will probably purchase a stone 

 crusher. 



HILLSDALE COUNTY ROADS. 



The Business Men's Association, of Hills- 

 dale, has taken up the question ( ,f good roads 

 for Hillsdale county, and particularly the 



PEOPLE DEMAND GOOD ROADS. 



A large number of Montcalm county town- 

 ship highway commissioners failed of re-elec- 

 tion last spring. Those driving over the roads 

 cannot help note why this was, for they were 

 building or repairing the roads in the sanu 

 manner their grandfathers did before them, 

 plowing up a strip of road and leaving it full 

 of -ods, stones and undragged or rolled. The 

 teams attached to buggies or wagons would 

 flounder over this road until the road became 

 beaten down. The roads should be put in 

 shape daily so far as worked, which is the 

 method good highway commissioners follow. 

 The old method of road work is a thing of 

 the past. Plowing up the road track is rarelv 

 called for now, for the grader does the work 

 and leaves a solid foundation. Drawing gravel 

 and leaving it in piles in the track will not 

 help a commissioner to re-election, nor will 

 leaving the road tilled with sod or stone add 

 to his popularity. Greenville Call. 



