MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



GOOD ROADS PROGRESS 



IN MICHIGAN STATE 



Lake County. 



The people of Lake county have been building 

 tter roads for twenty years and in consc- 

 ience have a system of highways that makes 

 e marketing of crops an easy matter. Since 

 e state adopted the plan of paying a reward 

 < .n highways built in accordance with detailed 

 ccitications, Lake county has constructed thir- 

 en and a half miles of approved roadways and 

 is received $10,910 in rewards. 



Wexford County. 



The Wexford county highway commissioners 

 lave mapped out their road building campaign 

 for 1911 and will begin active work as soon as 

 veather is favorable in the spring. According 

 o Commissioner Haynes the first labor to be 

 >erformed is the completion of the two miles 

 :raded last year near Stone Ledge lake in Clam 

 .ake township. For the covering on this strip 

 if road crushed stone will be used. This will 

 e followed by completing the mile of road in 

 rherry Grove township passing through Mitchel 

 D ark. The commissioners have thus far been 

 inable to secure stone with which to cover this 

 .trip. They are offering $4 per cord for them 

 lelivered on the ground. Work will be done 

 >y the day as heretofore. 



Gratiot County. 



The supervisors of Gratiot county have voted 

 o submit the question of adopting the county 

 olid system to the electors and it will be voted 

 in the first Monday in April. 



Jackson County. 



Tlie members of the Henrietta Center Farm- 

 rs' Club do not approve of the action of the 

 najority of the board of supervisors in refusing 



submit to the voters of Jackson county the 

 imposition of good roads, and have adopted 

 he following straightforward resolutions: 



"Whereas, The building of good roads in 

 ackson county is the most important question 

 cfore the fanners today, and the county sys- 

 i-m, wherever it has been tried, is the only sat- 

 sfactory solution of the road problem; and, 



Whereas, A bill has already been introduced 

 n the legislature for an appropriation of $250,- 

 HMI for the highway department, and the tax- 

 Bayers of Jackson county will be obliged to pay 

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

 y other counties to build their roads, and we 

 eceive no benefit from said appropriation ; 

 lerefore, 



"Resolved, By the Henrietta Center Farmers' 

 lub, that we most emphatically condemn the 

 ct of the fifteen members of the board of su- 

 rrvisnrs who refused to submit the proposi- 

 ,on to the voters of the county, and consider 

 M act arrogant, arbitrary, unwise, undemo- 

 ratic, unprogressive and un-American. 



"T. J. SPEARS, President. 

 "LOUISE REED, Secretary." 



Dickinson County. 



Dickinson county built 2.426 miles of macadam 

 ighway at a cost of $6,724 a mile last year, 

 imilar righways^ in Marquette county cost $8,- 

 >. per mile. Dickinson county will receive re- 

 ards from the state amounting to $2,426. 

 Mason County. 



The taxpayers of Mason county, western 

 Hchigan, will vote on April third next, upon 

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



e purpose of extending macadam and gravel 

 adways to the county limits. The people of 



is county have been building better roads for 

 vciity years and in consequence have a system 

 f highways that makes the marketing of crops 



1 easy matter. Since the state adopted the plan 

 f paying a reward upon highways built in ac- 

 irdance with detailed specifications this county 

 is constructed thirteen and a half miles of im- 

 oved roadway and has received $10,910 in 

 ate rewards. 



Branch County. 

 Deputy State Road Commissioner Frank Rog- 



HAVE WE GOOD ROAD MATERIAL FOR MICHIGAN? 



WELL 250,000 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 T , , . 



best and most economical, he sharply criticized , ere 1S , to , be , a blg campaign this season for 



the Branch board of supervisors, who refused S d . roads leading into Portland from every 

 to permit the county to vote on the proposition c lrectl "- A wide canvass made among business 

 this spring, stating that it was their right to men and /armers shows a strong sentiment in 

 vote upon it whenever they made petition. fav , or ,' hls , improvement, and the matter 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 short time. 



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

 last year, and over thirty miles is building this land was aroused among 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, in Orange, Berlin and Ionia town- 

 section line. ships was built. The cost of building the road 

 Kalamazoo County was approximately $1,700 per mile. The state 



appropriated for its construction $500 for every 



Petitions for awards on 32 miles of good roads mlle . The townsh ip S o f Orange, Berlin and Ionia 

 were hied recently by County Road Commis- each appropriated $500 toward the job and the 

 sioner Bryant with the state good roads depart- rest ot w th m was contributed by public 



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

 s covers the improvements planned m ls a trifle over iy mil j j Tretnayne's 

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



% So' a f S?% m!le C s h $' ^ ^ ^< ^ b d * e "* 



roads, the allowance being $1,000 a mile. ' -/ he road is one of the finSt spedmens in ^ 



Genesee County. entire state and farmers prefer taking its course 



The mile of state reward road built by Davi- to ] onia rather than comin S to Portland over 



son township, Genesee county, during last muddv roads. It is for this reason thtat the local 



year has been accepted by the state, and the merchants ha ve been aroused to activity, and are 



township has received the $500 reward, besides Agitating the movement for good roads leading 



about $1,000 which will be returned to that lrom f 11 ^ecUOM into Portland. The town has 



township from the county enough public spirited citizens who 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 tlle project will not prove a success. 



system to the voters of the county. Marquette County. 



Oakland County. l' ne board of supervisors' annual report shows 



Considerable effort is being made at Holly to tota ] ex P enditure * $162,807 50 by the county 



secure the building of at least one short section road commission, of which $41,741.02 was ex- 



of roadway which will meet the requirements of pended dur ' n gt he y ear I 9 * - Th -total expendi- 



the state road department and secure the bounty tur f was distn buted as follows: Office and K en- 



A gravel road will probably be built at a cost of eral ex P cnses > $8,316.55 ; engineering, $10,218.77 ; 



some $1,200 a mile. equipment, $22,551.75; repairs to equipment, $1,- 



.', S63.60; 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 m 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$i62,807.50. 



