ROADS AND ROAD BUILDING 275 



in an annual revenue of about one-half million dollars, and during 

 the past two years almost half of the total revenue has been spent 

 on the roads. 



There is a special road tax of $2.50, or five days' work upon the 

 highways, which is levied upon every male citizen of voting age 

 in the county. This money is spent in the districts where it is 

 paid and is expended for repair work only on roads which have 

 not yet been macadamized by the county. 



The money appropriated from the general fund is spent in any 

 part of the county, at the discretion of the commissioners. The 

 county has not issued any road bonds, paying the entire cost 

 out of the regular annual taxes. 



The plan used in Fulton County, Georgia, is worthy of study 

 and imitation in other localities, and we hope the day is not far 

 distant when we may see a perfect system of road building 

 inaugurated by every State in the Union. You can start the work 

 in your locality by writing to your State Experiment Station and 

 to the Superintendent of Public Documents at Washington, D.C., 

 for bulletins on road building. Two bulletins you should have 

 are Roadmaking, by George B. Ellis, of Columbia, Missouri, and 

 Bulletin No. 2 of the Highway Department of the State of Ohio, 

 entitled The Construction of County Roads, by Sam Huston. 

 Read these and other bulletins and then call meetings at your 

 schoolhouse and try to get your citizens interested in good roads. 



EXERCISES 



1. Let the pupils examine the roads in the neighborhood and report on 

 the following points : (a) drainage, (&) grade, (c) location. 



2. Let each pupil suggest improvements in methods for grading and 

 draining roads. 



3. Examine culverts and bridges, and note all defects. Suggest reme- 

 dies. 



4. Study the road laws of different States and suggest improvements 

 needed in your own State laws. 



QUESTIONS 



1. Are roads an index to the civilization of a country? Why? 



2. Discuss early Roman attempts at road building. 



3. What four things must be considered in road building? 



