54 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



self-respect, some spark of which is still left, will make them 

 dread to become town paupers. And isn't it vastly better to 

 give theiii work to bridge over a few months, than either to give 

 money outright or to send them to the poor-house ? Wouldn't 

 they be likely to remain better and more desirable citizens by 

 encouraging them to retain their self-respect ? Wiiy not set 

 them to work breaking stone into angular fragments, and pre- 

 paring material to be used on the roads in the spring, and pay 

 them a fair price, not by the day, but the piece, so much a cubic 

 yard ? The cost by cubic yards, both by machinery and by hand, 

 is perfectly well ascertained, and the time it requires for differ- 

 ent kinds of stone, and there need be no hesitation in fixing 

 upon a fair compensation. You would not only save men from 

 becoming paupers in many cases, but do the best thing for the 

 town. 



I should be glad, did time permit, to allude to other defects, 

 which arise from neglect and often cause serious inconvenience, 

 such as the want of sufficient and suitable guide-boards, and 

 railings along the edges of embankments to insure safety ; but 

 I wish to allude to the system of laws under which the common 

 practices alluded to have grown up, and by which the present 

 evils are rendered possible. 



In treating of the present system sanctioned by the statutes 

 of tiie Commonwealth for the building and care of the roads, 

 the most I can propose to myself will be to allude to some of 

 the striking and common faults which arise from or grow out 

 of it in the management and repairs of existing roads, and to 

 show how many of these mistakes can be avoided. 



1. One of the striking evils of the present system is the 

 want of uniformity throughout the State, or over any consid- 

 erable extent of territory. One town takes a pride in its roads, 

 spends money freely, adopts a progressive plan of operations, 

 and really secures very passable highways ; and if all the ad- 

 joining towns would do the same the traveller on a long line of 

 main road could get along very well. But the next town, per- 

 haps, shirks its duty to the public, works out its highway tax 

 l)y labor, a plan most skilfully devised to accomplish nothing, 

 does as little as possible to enable it to just graze within the letter 

 of the law, and the great public has to suffer accordiiigly. Now 



