286 FARM DEVELOPMENT 



roads, the state and national governments, in the interest 

 of the whole people, should aid in organizing them. By 

 providing a portion of the money, the larger co-operative 

 unit can purchase the right of the local community to 

 aid in administering road affairs in which the interest 

 of the state and national governments is as clearly de- 

 fined, though not to the same extent, as the locality. 



SURVEYING AND MECHANICAL APPLIANCES 



The road engineer requires a special education in civil 

 engineering, in surveying, in devising practical plans and 

 in superintending construction work. Those responsible 

 for the construction of public highways should be more 

 enterprising in employing men trained in planning and 

 superintending construction. The annual loss from 

 plans poorly made is much more than sufficient to pay a 

 sufficient number of highway engineers to place our road 

 building on a scientific basis. 



The preliminary survey. Too many of our highways 

 have been located by persons who were interested in 

 roads accommodating a particular point or person rather 

 than by county or state officials who take into consider- 

 ation the greatest benefit to the largest number of people 

 at present and in future. The first thing to be con- 

 sidered in locating the line of the road is the preliminary 

 survey, which decides in a broad way the general location 

 of the road, and locates bridges and culverts and deter- 

 mines the cost as compared with other proposed lines. 

 Since the hauling of surfacing materials is often a very 

 expensive operation, consideration should be given to 

 the proximity of materials which will make a good sur- 

 face for the future finished road. 



Locating pioneer roads. In hilly lands the pioneers 

 locate their roadways along the lines of easiest travel, 

 or along the lines where it requires the least work to 



