Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 January 1917 — Page 8

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TEACHERS FOR GOOD ROADS

FrJ>m University MenlJovvn to Workers in Country Schools, Wholesome ; ’” Benefit Is Seen. '.'l',: _ * ♦ ■' ' . ■? Back of the movement for the creation by the General Assembly of the State Highway Department, f<7r the organized construction of main market highways in Indiana, and the getting of the $2,109,000 of federal aid, are the schpol authorities of the state and the teachers generally,, for they know that with good roads come better educational facilities and the development of better citizenship in the communities. This support from the teachers comes' from the men employed in the universities and colleges on down through the. school system to the teachers of, the country schools who are brought fact to face. with’*the evils of bad or poor roads. The rural population is more willing to support better - schools today than at any previous time. It is being realized that all educational activities or agencies must be more or less correlated, and,’ more than all else, that they must be more accessible to the children. In many counties where bad roads prevail, most of the schools are of the antiquated oneroom variety. A Irregular Attendance.

They are usually located along bad roads which, during the winter, when the schools are usually in session, become so nearly impassable as ot make it difficult for the children to reach them. This condition causes irregular attendance and restricts the educational opportunities of the child. Not only this, but it often impedes ■ the economic consolidation of these smaller schools into larger, stronger graded schools, with high school courses, directed by a competent principal and corps of teachers. On the other hand, jn counties which have improved their roads, the schools are easily reached, the average attendance greater, the efficiency largely increased and economic consolidation made possible. Regular attendance at school means consistent and regular growth of both school and pupil, and consolidation of schools means a maximum of efficiency at a minimum of cost. It is also noteworthy that there is a marked tendency for the consolidated school to become the social and intellectual center of the community. Becomes Community Center. Most modern rural schoolhouses are so constructed as to serve the community as gathering places for various kinds of public meetings, and where vans are used to convey the children to school during the day they are frequently pressed into service to haul the farmers and their wives to institute work, lectures, or entertainments at the schoolhouse. The consolidated school becomes a sort of community center to which all educational and social activities converge, and in order that it may properly perform that function all of the highways leading to it should be so improved as to render it readily accessible throughout the year. t

M. E. NOBLET

As secretary of the Hoosier Motor Club, as editor of the Hoosier Motorist as a potential force in the Hoosier State Automobile Assn., and as secretory of the committee of forty statewide organizations fathering the state highway idea as reflected in the legislation pending in the General Assembly, M. E. Noblet has been close to the work of organizing the state so as to put Indiana among the front of the states that have propey road legislation.

California First to Go Ahead.

Agreements have been signed by the Secretary of Agriculture and the State highway department of California, for the construction of five roads under the terms of the Federal Aid Road Act, these being the first agreements entered into since the passage of the law. The five projects comprise sections of road forming parts of the state highway system of California and will take up practically the entire first year’s allotnient to the State, amounting to $151,063.92. All of the roads will be of concrete with a wearing surface of asphalt. Other states which are nearing the point of beginning road work under -the Federal Act are Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Arizona, and Idaho.

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Resolutions Adopted By the Indiana State Organizations Highway Committee Recently

■ 1. That we favor the creation of a State Highay Department conducted on a basis of npn-rpartisanship and efficient y. * ■ 2. That the State Highway Commission should of four members |ind hot more than two of them from any one political party. 3. That the State Highway Commission be appointed by the gover- • . ' ■ ■ c I nor. . : ' 4. That the members of the State Highway Commission serve without pay other than their actual 5. Tl?at the state highway engineer be appointed by the commission, and serve at the pleasure of the commission so long as he is efficient. ' .• 6. That the commission shall have power to fix the salary of its engineer. 7. That the commission shall have, power to get the best man for state highway engineer, either within or without the state. 8. That the state shall give aid in the constructing of roads, the county spying 50 per cent, and the state or the state and national Government paying 50 per cent. 9. That the state shall give aid only for those roads forming a connecting series of main market roads approved by the commission. 10. That thp initiative in construction be left with the county. - 11. That all plans and specifications for such roads be subject to the approval of the state highway engineer. 12. That the contracts for building such roads, shall be subject to the approval of the state highway engineer. * 13. such roads shall be constructed under supervision /)f the state highway engineer. 14. That the state maintain all roads built xylth state aid and all roads built by counties excepted by the state commission as a state road. , ' - 15. That upon petition of fifty freeholders of a county £he plahs, specifications and contracts for the construction of a road, costing more than $2,000 per mile, other than a main market road, by the county shall be subject to the approval pf the state highway engineer, and upon a like petition the work shall be subject to the supervision of the state highway engineer, but paid for by the county. 16. That the state engineer give advice and assistance to the’county road officials when requested. 17. That the state engineer have authority to require county and township road officials to give him such information of their local road conditions as he may see fit to request. 18. That the State Highway Department be financed by general tax levy and by such other indirect taxes as may be available. 19. That the counties provide funds for their portion of the cost of roads built with state aid either by tax or bonds of the county. 20. ’ That where roads receiving state, aid pass through towns and cities, that state aid should be allowed inside the city limits in proportion to aid given outside the city limits. 21. State aid for bridges on state aid roads should be limited to SIO,OOO for any single bridge. Federal Aid. If a State Highway Department is established it means that Indiana will receiye her share if federal aid, amounting to $2,109,000. She cannot receive federal aid without establishing a State Highway Department. All states in the Union excepting Indiana, South Carolina and Texas, have such departments.

MILLIONS FOR BETTER ROADS

Sum of $85,000,000 of Federal Funds Made Available for Construction of Country Highways. By the passage of the federal %id road bid the government of the United States has put itself in the way to reap great benefits. According to the new law, the sum of $85,000,000 of federal funds is made available for the construction of country roads. Of this amount $75,000,000 is to be expended for the construction of rural post roads under co-operative arrangements with the highway departments of the various states and $10,000,000 is to be used in developing roads and trails within or partly within the national forests. Indiana will be able to share in this appropriation to the extent of $2,109,000 when she creates a highway department to superintend the building of a correct system of main market Such a bill is to be a feature of the legislative work at this session of the legislature and the big business and educational forces of the state are back of the bill. The commission is to be non-partisan and under the promise of Governor James P. Goodrich to~ be made up of the ?Fry biggest and most capable men in the state. , v Speaking of the wisdom of the state taking advantage of the federal aid in the building of her roads, George E. Martin, assistant professor of highway engineering in Purdue university, says, in a Purdue bulletin.

“Federal aid for road building is now a fact. The, federal government will not treat with Anything but a state. Some form of state organization is necessary to obtain that aid. “Indiana has long stood as a conspecuous example of extreme local control in road matters. Her laws have been drawn to give the people of the smallest subdivision of her territory the greatest latitude in the selection of the roads to be improved and the methods to be used for their* improvement. The results have been good in the past. Indiana can well be proud of her system of lo,cal roads reaching practically all of her pbople. Conditions are rapidly changing. I?oads which were entirely satisfactory ten years ago are now inadequate to carry the traffic which comes upon them. Road building is speedily advancing from rule of thumb methods to its proper place as one of the engineering sciences. It is no longer possible for every man to'be a good road builder. To build roads to meet present conditions requires extensive training and experience. It is *ot possible for the small subdivisions to* obtain men qualified to de- , sign and construct these modern highways." '

A. G. LUPTON

As a farmer and banker, reprsenting the state bankers’ association, the farmer organizations and the Hoosier State Automobile Association, of which he is president, A. G. Lupton,, of Hartford City, is firm in the conviction that Indiana should have an excellent system of main market highways, that the way to get it is to create .a State Highway department that the benefit of the federal; aid. Mr. Lupton says it is not to the credit of Indiana that she stands with but two other states that have not created a highway department.

NEW JERSEY FOR GOOD ROADS

Voters Authorize Bond Issue of Seven Million Dollars for Improvement of Highways. By a majority of about 81,000, voters of New Jersey on November 7 approved 'the issuance of $7,000,000 of State bonds under what is known as the Egan Act. The principal -and interest of the bonds are to be paid from the motor vehicle license fees, registration fees, , fines and penalties. If these are not sufficient, the glance necessary to meet this payments on the bonds is to be taken from the general fund of the State. ' The Egah bill also creates a highway --commission to carry out the work, and defines thirteen routes traversing all of the counties of the State except Cape May and Hudson. * The commission is to consist of rhe governor, the president of the* State senate, the speaker of the house, the State road, commissioner, and thechairmen of the committees of highways of the senate and of the house. The act provides that the paving on. the highway system shall be of granite, asphalt or wood- blocks, brick, concrete, bituminous concrete, asphalt, or other pavement having hard, serface and of a durable character. The width of the pavement is to b& at least 18 feet. -