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JOHNSTON & Co'y, PRINTERS AND BoOK BiNDKRS, 1900. -V-WP-^iy-^-xg m^ ^ ^ -Vy-Ty-ty-^ ■ Ty i^ V -ti^xsr-xQr i^ «y i< fe ¥ MUNICIPAL GOOD {ROADS CONVENTION. COUNTY BUrLDINGS. TORONTO. DECBMBKR 12th. 1899. A. MUNICIPALITY Northumberland Durham . E. Gwillimbury . . . . Woodbridge Wentworth ' ' DELEGATES PRESENT P. O. ADDRESS H. W. Fowlds Hastings Lt.-Col. McLean Port Hope B. W. Kitely Sharon Thos. F. Wallace Woodbridge J. B. Calder Carluke Edward Kenrick Ancaster *• ' M. Richardson Flesherton Grey Andrew McMillan East Toronto East Toronto W. H. McCuUoch..... ." Andrew PattuUo Woodstock Oxford W. J. Stark Stouffville Stoufifville R. Maitland Roy Hamilton W. H. Pugsley Richmond Hill York James McDougall, C.E Toronto York J. F. Beam Black Creek Welland C. H. Gill Dixie Toronto Township Harold Eagle Attercliffe Haldimand J. C. Stokes King King J. W. Brown Stouffville Stouffville R. Norman Schomberg York James Ley Ellesmere Scarboro John A. Boag ,,Ravenshoe N. Gwillimbury John Gardhouse highfield Etobicoke F. W. Wilson Petrolia President Board of Trade W. C. Grubbe Thistletown Etobicoke S. Baker Bloomington Whitchurch J. A. Duff School of Practical Science Toronto XI MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. DlLIQATU PBBSBNT. P. O. APORIM MCNICIPALITT. F. K. Rcesor Markham Markham P. G. Savage Richmond Hill Richmond Hill James Graham Lindsay. Victoria M. T. Buchanan Ingersoll Oxford Loui§ Kaufmann Cassell " T. R. Sylvanus Hamilton Hamilton A. W. Campbell, C. E Toronto Toronto R.J.Gibson «' " Henry Duncan Don York Township F.C. Miller Bracondale " W. E. Switzer Omemee Victoria Robt Bryans Lindsay Warden Victoria County George Johnson Cannington Ontario H. S. Cane Mayor Newmarket C. E. Lundy Newmarket York County D. H. Moyer Camden Lincoln L. L. Hartman Aurora York E. Kidd... North Gower Carleton Wni. Schell ,,4 Woodstock Oxford R. C. Tefft Markham Markham W.H.Hall " E. J. Davis Comissioner Crown Lands Toronto T. J. Woodcock : Warden York County J. W. Moyes Sup't. Metropolitan Railway Deer Park MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. OPENING SESSION. Decemhbr 13, iSgg. Woodcock, I HE CONVENTION was called to order by Mr. T. J. I Warden of the County of York, at 2 o'clock, p. m. Mr. C. E. Lundy, County Councillor of Div. 8, County of York, was «lected chairman, and Mr. John A. Ramsden, Clerk of York County, was appointed secretary. The Chairman addressed the meeting:, • thanking representatives for the honor they had bestowed on him, and briefly outlining how the convention came to be called together, hs objects and the order in which the various matters would be considered. Letters regretting their inability to attend were read from R. S. Wood, Chatham ; James Sheppard, Bowmanville ; S. B. Morris, Rodney, and John Shaw, Mayor city of Toronto ; also from the Hamilton Bridge Co., with pamphlets re Highway Bridges, and from Chas. D. Warren, president Metropolitan Street Railway Co., inviting the delegates to a trip over theii: line through the county. The Chairman then introduced Mr. A. F. Wood, of the County of Hastings, who gave the convention a very interesting and concise account of the introduction and development of the county road system of the county of Hastings. (See Appendix). A discussion on Mr. Woods' address, chiefly of an interrogatory character, followed. On motion it was decided that the invitation of the president of the Metropolitan Railway Co., be not accepted until after the work of the convention was finished. Mr. J. F. Beam, of Welland county, read a paper on " Good Roads and the Necessity of Provincial Aid to Encourage the Movement." (See Appendix.) Mr. Richardson, of Grey county, seconded by Mr. Ley, of Scarboro, moved Resolution No. 1. (See Appendix.) The resolution was referred to the Committee on Resolutions. Mr. McCulloch, of East Toronto, seconded by Warden Woodcock, of York, moved that a Committee on Resolutions be appointed. Consideration laid over until Evening Session. Convention adjourned to meet again at 8 o'clock, p. m. to-day. C. E. LUNDY, CAatrman. EVENING SESSION. Convention met at 8 o'clock, p. m. Warden Woodcock, of York County, took the chair, and briefly addressed the meeting, welcoming the delegates, and expressing the hope and belief that the Good MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. Roids movement would receive a great impetus, from this representative and influential convention. Mr. Pugsley moved, seconded by Mr. Savage, that Messrs. Eagle, McLean» Calder, Richardson, Beam, Fowlds, Brynes, Kaufmann, Duncan, Lundy, Moyer» Wilson and Kidd be appointed a Committee on Resolutions, to whom shall be re- ferred all resolutions and papers placed before this Convention, the said papers and resolutions to be reported on by them at to-morrow's session.— Carried. Mr. Pugsley moved, seconded by Mr. Reesor, Resolution No. 2. (See Appendix. > Resolution referred to committee. Andrew PattuUo, M. L. A., of Oxford county, addressed the Convention on the subject of *• Better Roads." (See Appendix.) Mr. Wm. C. Grubbe, of Etobicoke Township, seconded by Mr. Gardhouse of County Council Div. No. 3, York county, moved Resolution No. 3. (See Appendix.) Referred to Committee on Resolutions. Mr. Richardson of Grey county, moved> seconded by Mr. Reesor, county councillor, Div. 5, York county. Resolution No. 4, which was referred to Committee on Resolutions. Mr. Duncan, of York Township moved, seconded by Mr. Beam, of Welland, that Mr. Ramsden be, and he is hereby appointed clerk of the Committee on Resolutions, and that all papers and resolutions placed before the said Committee be left in the care of said secretary.— Carried. Mr. J. A. Ramsden, clerk of York county, read a paper on Reforestry. (See Appendix.) Mr. Miller, of York Township moved, seconded by Mr. Duncan, of York Town- ship, resolution No. 3, (see Appendix), re entrance of Suburban Electric Railways to markets. Referred to Committee on Resolutions. Mr. Duncan moved a resolution re planting trees on hill sides and waste places. Referred to Committee. Convention adjourned to meet at 11 o'clock to-morrow. (Signed) A. F. WOOD, Chairman, SECOND DAY. Toronto, Dec. 13th, iSgg. Convention met at 11 o'clock, a. m. Mr. A. F. Wood, of Hastings County, in the chair. - The minutes of yesterday's proceedings were read and confirmed. A communication from R. S. Woo I, of Chatham, re government aid to County Road Systems, was received and read. (See Appendix). > . ' KM r, taw h ^ 1 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVKNTION. The Honorable £. J. Davies, Commissioner of Crown Lands, then addressed the Convention. (See Appendix.) A. W. Campbell, Provincial Road Inspector, then addressed the Convention on Road Construction and the Benefits arising from County Systems. (Sec Appendix.) Convention adjourned at i o'clock p.m. ■w ^.: ) i \ ■ , vv; f^ i 1 I a ^ AFTERNOON SESSION. At 2 o'clock p.m. Mr. Lundy took the chair. Mr. Campbell answered questions concerning; various matters arising from his address. Mr. F. W. Wilson of Petrolia, moved, seconded by Mr. D. H. Meyer, resolution No. 4. (See Appendix.) Mr. Kendrick and Mr. Calder, of Wentworth County, asked the opinion of the Con- vention as to whether or not County Roads would be best and most economically governed and supervised by a salaried superintendent or by a committee of council. After considerable discussion and a further explanation from Mr. A. F. Wood, as to the methods adopted in Hastings County, the consensus of opinion appeared to be that County Roads would be best supervised by a superintendent under the control of a committee of council. Mr. Eagle, chairman of the Committee on Resolutions, presented the report of the committee. The report was received and read. The Convention went into committee of the whole on the report, Mr. Richardson in the chair. The committee rose and adopted the report as amended, which was received and adopted. Mr. Woodcock moved, seconded by Mr. Schell, that this convention ot delegates from the various counties and local municipalities of Ontario, in convention assembled, tender their most sincere thanks to Messrs. A. F. Wood, Andrew PattuUo, M. L.A., and A. W. Campbell, C.E., for their presence at this Convention and for the very able and instructive addresses given by them.— Carried. The Convention adjourned to meet again at the call of the committee. C. E. LUNDY, Chairman. MUNICH AL GOOD ROADS CON\ BNTION. APPENDIX. RESOLUTIONS SUBMITTED. No. I. Moved by Mr. Richardson, seconded by Mr. Ley : That this Convention oC representative municipal men memorialize the Legislature of Ontario to grant aid to municipalities to build gravel, macadam or other permanent roads in some propor- tion to mileage or cost of roads built, such roads being constructed according to a standard approved by the government, and subject to the approval of competent commissioners appointed by the government. No. a. Moved by Mr. Pugsley, seconded by Mr. Reesor : That recognizing the impor- tance of good roads as a system of transportation for the county, and in view of the stated policy of the Government to assist in the improvement of roads ; And whereas state aid is universally accepted a» fundamental to a properly maintained system of county roads, as evidenced by nearly all European countries, and is being rapidly adopted by many of the American states, some of which have already undertaken this line of action— Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Rhode Island, California, Connecticut, New Jersey and others ; And whereas it is in the interest of the Province that this important work should be constructed after a common specification and maintained to a fixed degree of efficiency ; ly Therefore be it resolved that this Convention petition the Legislature to aid county councils in the maintenance of roads assumed by them by making to each an annual appropriation of a fixed sum tor every mile, so constructed and so maintained, and that a committee be appointed for the purpose of making this presentation to the Legislature of this Province. No. 3. Moved by Mr. Grubbe, seconded by Mr. Gardhouse : That this Convention hereby commends to the consideration of the municipalities of this Province the question of passing by-laws, making it compulsory on owners of wagons carrying heavy loads over the highways to use broad rims. No. 4. Moved by Mr. Richardson, seconded by Mr. Reesor : "Whereas the common roads are in the highest degree important in the development of a country, socially, commercially and industrially, and not until they are made and maintained in the most serviceable and efficient manner, does a country realize its full measure of prosperity ; " And whereas, owing to changed conditions in agriculture and other industrial pursuits, the most improved means of transportation and equipment are now indis- pensable to the welfare of the country ; " And whereas, public attention and experience has been so largely directed to other important works, that road improvement has been neglected ; \\ ^N w ' .1 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. in the Itil they Idops a iustrial indis- Icted to \/ { " And whereas the system employed for the purpose of making our roads was well adapted to early conditions, and has performed a serviceable work in the ele- mentary stages of road- making m this Province, but owing to the rapid develop- ment of the country and the largely increased demands of travel and transportation, this system has proven unable to cope with the new circumstances, and has not kept pace with progress in all other branches of public service ; " And whereas the common roads of the country aie a vital part of the means of transportation, and it is imperative to adopt means and measures which will bring about their improvemen as speedily and economically as possible ; " And whereas we are convinced that the large expenditures of money and labor now being devoted to the work, especially on leading roads, by no means produce consistent results ; ^ "And whereas our experience has shown that the present method is not conducive to a proper classification, a uniform and connected sy. i of main roads, equalitv of taxation and expenditure, the selection of suitable i. .crial, the use of modern implements for doing the work efiicientiy and eccacmically, nor securing that supervision in construction and maintenance essen*' ' to e onomic work ; "And whereas we are convinced that the svstctu rath r th .,: the lack of means is responsible ^ )r the bad condition of the road. "Be it tnerefore resolved^ that it is the opinion • /" this Convenion that the P 'tnt township ' trisdiction is too limited, and thai the leading roads in every County should be under the administration of the County Council, the following among others, being the benefits that would result " Under a county system a portion of tho cost of rQdd building is levied in the county rate against the towns and villages within the Viunicipality for road purposes. At the present time, under township systems, the farm'^rs bear the entire cost. All the expenditure thus placed on the roads is spent ia ihe county, and is thus returned in a great measure to those who contributed it in the first place. " Under county control a properly organized cor[)s of men can be employed to build and repair roads. As at other employments, they become experienced and do better work, and in the matter of repairs are ready to make them as soon as signs of wear appear. " By a county plan, uniformity in system and work will be secured throughout the various municipalities, whereas under township control a diversity of plans is sure to be adopted. " In a county plan an experienced and properly qualified man could be employed to have constant supervision of the work, whereas under township control each municipality cannot afford to pay the salary of such a man. Under every good system of government it is neccessary to have responsibility centralized and defined, not divided and easily shifted from one to another, as it is now under the statute labor system. " Under county control machinv»ry can be purchased and handled to better advantage, an experienced operator can be employed for each implement, and a better and more uniform class of work will be secured. " A properly connected system of leading roads throughout the county will Be obtained under a county system; whereas wiih each township working independently of those around it, this will be lost sight of. 10 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. "There is no coromrnity of interest between the townships. In one township there is a certain leading road much travelled and well made and maintained. The adjoining municipality may for various reasons not consider the continuance of that road through it of so much importance as to warrant them in making an expenditure to benefit lirgely their neighbors, who are obliged to ♦ravel over it. •' Under the county system the large expenditure now made on these main roads will be sufficiently concentrated to undertake durable work, and consequently these roads will be properly constructed and afterwards maintained at a less cost than at present. "A county road system equalizes the cost of maintaining leading roads. In every county within a certain radius of a market town traffic constantly increases as the town is approached. The cost of construction and maintenance increases in pro- portion to the traffic. It is unfair to charge those living near the town with the cost of keeping the road? to support the traffic from a distance ; so unfair as to cause dis- couragement and often withdraw support. " Property is very largely valued according to distance from the market, and the convenience with which the market can be reached. Property a long distance from the market is aflfected to a greater extent by the bad condition of the roads than is property very near the market. Good roads are therefore of as great value to townships a long distance from the market town as those in the immediate vicinity. No. 5. Moved by Mr. Miller, seconded bv Mr. Duncan : Resolved, "That this Convention is of opinion that the time has arrived in the interests of good roads, that the Provincial Legislature should intervene in cases where electrical railways fail to agree as to terms and conditions of ingress and egress of markets, and pass such legislation as shall impose such fair conditions as shall avert the present lockout of radial railways seeking the markets of this province." No. 6. ' V Moved by Mr. Wilson, seconded by Mr. Moyer : "That, whereas many muni- cipalities have difficulty in securing road-making material, except by rail trans- portation, and they are much interested in getting low freight rates on material which they have to procure in carrying out a policy of road improvement ; therefore, be it resolved that this Convention do, through the Committees, press upon the railway companies of the country the urgency and advisability of extending to all municipal corporations the lowest possible freight rates on all road- making material purchased by them and shipped by rail " MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 11 PAPERS READ. GOOD ROADS— PRINCIPLES AND RESULTS— NECESSITY OF JUDICIOUS GOVERNMENT AID. all rial Mr. J. F. Beam read the following paper on the subject, '.Kjiiod Roads— Principles and Results." Nothing appears to be more clear than that there will be found but one important difficulty for any representative body of men in trying to agree on some line of public policy regarding any public question, and that is, as to what principles shall determine their course of action. When this important part is decided upon, their remaining labors will be ai> simple as that of 2 ana 2 make 4. In trying to solve the good roads problem then, should not our first thoughts be directed toward selecting tne kind of principles that ought to govern our action ? The results it will readily be seen will depend solely on the different principles that may be applied in carryir.j, -^Mt any- desired system of highway improvement. For instance, under the statute labor principle (or rather lack of busines^s prin- ciple), every one is familiar with the indifferent results that follow. When one or two hundred, more or less, easy-going pathmasters are annually chosen and let loose in every township to pursue wi'Siout any method or system, each one his own haphazard operations on our highways, can any better results be expected from such entire absence of definite principles than the still deplorably wretched conditions of mc^t of our highways after the expenditure of so many millions of days' labor upon them. When the principle that each locality shall improve its own highways is adopted which has been strongly advocated by influential persons, what are tne results but simply a system of patch-work here and there in the Province, under more or less imperfect and widely different methods. Under this principle, when a progressive neighborhood improves a main road, the less enterprising in the surrounding districts use the road without sharing in the cost of providing other corresponding roads. The same results are seen in the case the township or county that sometimes makes spasmodic efforts to improve their highways, while others adjoining neglect their work, yet unfairly get the benefit by driving across or on the good road of the improved township or county. Another unsatisfactory result of this principle of action is the fact that such improved highways end with the township or county boundary and do not form 'a proper connection system of leading highways from county to county throughout the Province, which is a most important requisite of any system of good roads. It will be seen that the larger the county or district that can be brought under one good roads system the better the results, as in the case of the County of Hastings, which has dimensions of about 40 miles in width by 100 miles in length, and has upwards of 400 miles of stone and gravel roads improved and maintained under the county system, it being the only municipality having such a county system in Ontario. But in this case we find that' the wealth of the City of Belleville helps to pay the cost of these good roads, and Belleville as well as the county reaps great benefit from the system. It is c trident then that the larger the community that is sharing in the cost of good roads the lighter the burden to each individual and the more just and equitable the division of cost. But how can the county highway s>...em, so much to be desired, be best extend- ed so as to be certain of adoption in every county in the Province ? This appears to be the gist of the whole question before this Convention. I may say here that I am in full sympathy with the object of those who called this Convention together, namely, " Of County Councils assuming and maintaining leading highways through the county." This principle of selecting certain leading highways to form a connecting system for townships and inter-town and market highways in each county, to be f2 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. ^nder the charge of a County Commissioner, as distinct and separate from other local roads that would remain under the management of the townships, is sound as far as it goes. But to make it a complete and equitable system, and to insure its .adoption in every county, the principle of county appropriations for highways must be supulemented with a further principle of provmcial aid. This, then, includes two other sound principles : (i) That all benefited by the good roads shall help pay the cost, and (2) that the more wealthy portions of the community shall contribute toward paying for good roads in the less favored parts. This principle is already applied in our educational system, with the best of results. The rich are taxed to educate the children of the poor, else many would have to go without education, to the great detriment of the whole community. For instance, the length and number of the streets in a city are short and small compared with the compact concentration of wealth, thus making the burden comparatively light for street improvement ; while in the country districts the length and number of only the leading highways to be improved are so far out of proportion to the sparsely settled and scattered wealth of the farming communities, that it is out of the question for the^farmeu alone to think of paying the enormous comparative cost to them for such good roads as are required, probably costing $2,000 to $5,000 per milei according to locality, for a ■cheap, botched stone road is a nuisance. Can the strict principles of equity and justice be carried out in expecting the farmers alone to pay for good roads, which are used by the general public and alike by citizens of town and country, as the wares of the town go out over the same <:ommon roads that the produce of the farms comes in on ? Township and county councilmen, where the population is not dense, stand appalled at the cost of good roads aud are unwilling to incur a heavy burden of debt unless that burden can be lightened to the farmers by assistance from some good-sized towns. Of course under state aid this difficulty would be overcome. " There is no more common interest than the common roads. " Under the county system proposed by the convenors of this Convention, the cities and towns within the borders of the county, would, it is understood, aid in paying the cost cf good roads and thus lighten the burden of the farmer. But how could the farmer be helped in counties that have comparatively small towns ? Suppose the County Council of York decides to adopt the principle of " the county assuming and maintaining the leading highways through the county," and it carries out such system, could not the other counties well say, " It is very easy for York to have good roads, with Toronto, the largest city in the Province ito help pay the cost. " And if Toronto did not help, why not? The City of Belle- ville, in Hastings county, helped. Could not the other counties appropriately say, " Why should the wealth of the City of Toronto be confined towards paying for good roads in its immediate vicinity, in York County only ? Do not the interests of Toronto extend to every other county in the commonwealth, however remotely situated ? Do not products from every other county find their way to Toronto ? Does not all wealth first come froni the soil, and has not the whole Province contri- buted towards the building up of the large accumulation of wealth represented by the city of Toronto ?" Would not Toronto then by the state aid principle be justly contributing toward the cost of good roads over the whole Province ? In like manner, except in a less degree, cannot this be said of every other city and town in the Province ? Are not the city institutions constantly sweeping in the wealth from the country, from the loan company with its semi-annual interest of hundreds of millions on farm mortgages, to the insurance lodges in every village sending in their monthly assessments, all tending to impoveiish the country and enrich the town ? Can there be arty plan then that would better advance the well-being of the whole community, both townsmen and farmers, than the returning of some of the wealth to the country from which it came by way of state-aid for good roads ? In other words by this principle, aid would be contributed by both city and country for the main highways. Such Provincial highways would be built also through the towns, while both town and country would still have their remaining local streets and roads to care for. Is not the whole good roads question therefore dependent for proper progress on the choosing of right principles and standing fearlessly by them ? Not since the building of the Apian Way and the 53,000 miles of solid roads across the ancient Roman Empire, has any country obtained the boon of good roads without state aid. And not until this movement for MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 13 eood roads can be cleared from the reproach of unjust principles of action, whereby the least wealthy portions of the country are expected to bear the burden of taxation can we see any proper progress. Meanwhile the country districts will remain without the benefit, and the whole community without the priceless boon, that good roads in every county would bring. 1 he people cannot act except through the legislative bodies, such as the County Council and the Legislature, but would carry out any measure embodying equitable principles for highway improvement. Would it not be a most fitting and proper thing for this representative and influential bod^, composed of so many citizens of the metropolitan city of Toronto, to take the initiative in memorializing the Legislature to pass a general enactment and invite other County Councils to unite in this matter ? Why should we in Ontario, who are in the van in so many things, allow ourselves to become so far behind so many of the states to the south of us in granting a just measure of state aid for good roads ; one of the most important requisites of any civilized and progressive people ? Is not the primitive condition of our highways a " reproach to any people ?" The state of Massachusetts pays three-quarters of the cost for good roads ; New York pays one-half the cost, and New Jersey pays one- third, the counties paying the other two-thirds, except that the property along the improved highway pays 10 per cent. This appears to be a fair division of cost. Can we not recommend that our Province pay at least one-third the cost of good roads ? In these and other states, with the state aid principle in operation, we find that good roads are being built worthy the name, under the incentive of state aid, under com- petent authority and with a system of leading county highways properly connected throughout the state, the general cost being from $2,000 to $6,000 per mile. New Jersey appropriates about $100,000 per annum, the others some $500,000 yearly, to- be drawn on by the counties under certain limited and guarded conditions. In Welland county, where I reside, we have only to cross Niagara river to see the operations of this excellent New York state aid law. As a private citizen, my only object and desire is to advance the public interest by assisting to sift out the real grains of practical truth from the superabundance of chafiE that impedes the progress of the good roads movement. If we wish to side- track and postpone the movement, we can easily choose our principles accordingly. But if our real desire is to see it advanced on principles of justice and equi*" our course is plain, and we will declare our purpose and stand by our principles loyally,, and our victory is certain to follow. REFORESTRY. MR. JOHN A. RAMSDEN READ THE FOLLOWING PAPER OK "REFORESTRY." THE benefits that would ensue to the climate and crops of Ontario, and to the general well-being and comfort of its population, from a well-conducted sy tem of tree- planting, or retorestry, are so important and far-reaching, and alsO' so apparent, that it is surprising there is not more agitation and demand by the people on the municipal and legislative bodies of the Province for such action on. their part as will encourage tree-planting on a far more extensive scale than has hitherto prevailed. When this fertile Province was first seen by our ancestors it was clothed with a magfnificent forest of the finest varieties of timber, which afforded a shelter and pro- tection for the wild animals and birds, and for the few tribes of aborigines who dwelt here and there in the most favored sections, subsisting on the game and fish that abounded in the woods and streams. But, with the advent of the civilized races, came the necessity of clearing away the forest to allow the land to be cultivated for the raising of food-istuffs in greater variety and quantity to safisfy the cultivated tastes of the newcomers. This task was one of the white man's burdens, which he took i 14 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS {CONVENTION. upon himself and performed only too faithfully and thoroughly. The Canadian wood- man '* spared no tree." The forest was considered a nuisance, something to be got rid of, so one by one, to the music of the axe, the trees fell, until now the whole country is almost denuded of its natural and beautiful original covering. This process at first was necessary to let in the light and air for the benefit of the crops and to drive away malarial diseases. The fever and ague was thus banished, and one of the most fertile and productive soils uncovered and got into shape for agricultural pursuits that ever the sun shone on, and perhaps. even if a considerable Eortion of the original forest had been left standing, it would have been impossible to ave preserved it, as the trees, having arrived at their maximum size and age, would either be blown down by the winds or die of old age. The proper course then to pursue is to set out plantations of young trees that will in a short time fulfil all the functions of the old ones and afford us all the benefits our fathers derived from the original forest. I will attempt to set forth a few of the evils that ensue from this clearing process, and some of the most patent blessings that would arise from a system of replanting. The absence of trees allows the wind to sweep across the land with unchecked violence, doing incalculable damage to growing crops and fruit trees, drying up the moisture after rainfalls, sometimes blowing down fences and unroofing buildings, drifting the roads full of snow in winter and the eyes full of dust in the summer, and generally adding to the cares and discomforts of both man and beast. This drifting of snow on the highways alone has become a serious nuisance. I have known some road divisions in the townships to use up all their statute labour keeping the roads passable in the winter, and thereby for the want of the necessary work, leaving them almost impassable in the summer ; and now that electric railways are being intro- duced on rural highways, this matter of snow-drifts is becoming more serious still. The planting of trees over considerable areas would tend to prevent drifting, as the trees in addition to breaking the force of the wind, would arrest and hold the snow among and around the trees, thus leaving less to be deposited on the roads. Owing to the absf'nce of shelter, the sun and wind in the hot days of summer dry up the moisture rapidly after a fall of rain, which otherwise would be utilized by the growing crops. The springs sink into the earth as if they dreaded the eye of the sun, and mills and factories stand still for the want of power to run them. On the other hand, in the spring of the year, the quick-melting snow, or the heavy thunder-shower, un- restrained, rushes down the furrows and water-courses, carrying with it the fertility of the soil, also sometimes carrying with it fences, sheaves ofgrain, culverts and bridges, polluting the streams, making them uninhabitable for the finer varieties of fish, and adding to the tax-bill of the rate-payers. Large districts of poor land have been stripped of trees, and allowed to lie in slush or old sod, being on account of its poverty unfit for cultivation. These waste lands become ideal breeding places for grass-hoppers, army worms and a thousand other insect pests which hatch in such places and then over-run and devour the adjoining crops, gardens and orchards. If all such lands were planted with trees, it would not only destroy the breeding-grounds of such insect pests, but it would become a shelter and lodging place for insectivorous birds, which would, in their turn, destroy the pests, thus converting what had been insect propagating into insect exterminating territory. Hitherto, very little had been done in this Province to encourage tree-planting. There is an act in the Provincial Statutes which provides for certain compensation for trees planted on the roadsides or along line fences for the purposes of shade and ornament. This, while it is better than nothing, gives but the minimum advantage to be derived from tree- planting. Trees should be planted in blocks and belts and close together, for in this vay they better resist the wind, collect the snow and allow it to melt slowly and run away gradually. The timber grows higher, the lower branches dropping off, and the weaker trees dying out ; the fittest survive and deve- lope into tall, straight, branchless trunks, that soon have a commerical value ; planted in rows on the roadside or along boundary fences, they branch out in their effort to cover the earth's nakedness, and thus destroy their value and utility for industrial purposes. ian wood- to be got he whole ifit of the banished, shape for tsiderable lossible to and age, rees that IS all the y process, jplanting. nchecked g up the buildings, mer, and s drifting )wn some the roads ing them ing intro- ious still, g, as the the snow Owing y up the ! growing sun, and er hand, >wer, un- fertility 'erts and Irieties of ind have iunt of its ices for in such lards. If ■grounds ;tivorous lad been MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 15 )lanting. ition for lade and Ivantage kelts and |d allow te lower lid deve- planted effort to idustrial This important work of tree-planting should be taken up by the Legislature of the Province. Individual efifort cannot accomplish much in this direction. Life is to short ; the cash returns are too remote. Like good roads, it requires to be taken up on a more extended scale to ensure uniformity and efficiency. In Germany, I believe, a Board of Commissioners appointed by the Government have charge of the timber lands, and they endeavor to maintain one-third of the whole country under forest. If it is decided by them that certain tracts of land should be planted with trees, the owner of such land is first notified to that effect. If he refuses or neglects to carry cut the instructions given within a certain specified time, his land is expropriated and planted as government property. The result of this system is that Germany, being as it is one of the oldest and longest peopled nations of Europe, has still all the timber she needs for her own u^e, and exports large quantities to other countries. The products of the forest pay the cost of management and furnish a large revenue both for the Federal and Municipa Governments. Some such system as this is needed in Ontario. Our climate requires the tempering and equalizing influence of forest growth ; rainfall would be more even- ly distributed, springs and streams would be strengthened, birds would be sheltered, moisture would be retained, the timber supply for future generations would be assured, the landscape beautified, and a thousand other blessings would result. Next to better roads, or perhaps of equal importance with it, forestry should claim the attention of the legislative and municipal representatives of this Province. It is a valuable adjunct to good roads, and should be brought to the att ention of the Prov- incial legislature by this Convention in connection with the forward movement now under consideration. MR. A. F. WOOD'S ADDRESS. Mr. A. F. Wood, Ex-M.P.P., Madoc, on being introduced, said : — Mr. Chairman and President, I am extremely pleased to meet you in a meeting of this kind. I am also glad to see here Mr. Pattullo, who ten years ago inaugurated a kind of Provincial system in calling attention to the Good Roads Movement ; and Mr. Campbell, who has been appointed by the Government to look after these roads. I have met these gentlemen before, and I think it would be to your interest to hear from them. I do not intend to inflict any two hours' speech upon you to-day. As suggested bjr the Chairman, I do not think it would be wise. I am here to convey any information I may have in reference to this matter. If in the remarks I should make I should fail to touch upon some matters in which you are interested, I would be glad if you would ask questions referring to them. I had the honor of representing the riding in which I live during three Parliaments in Ontarto, and as the riaiucf is pretty extensive, and I lived in the central part of the county where it was most thickly populated, my position necessitated a good deal of travel over the County of Hastings roads. Now, Mr. Chairman, as this is a meeting for practical purposes and not for oratory, I purpose to act accordingly. When I received the first letter from your respected Clerk, I laid it upon my office desk ; I did not think of coming at all. Later, I picked it up and replied that I would come if I could. I am quite honest enough to state that I did not at all expect to come. But when I received his letter yesterday morning indicating that he was afraid I was mistaken as to the particular day, and urging my coming, I saw he was in earnest and I decided to come. It was not lack of mterest that prevented my coming ; it was simply busi- ness, and the distance I had to come. The particular question before you,as your Chairman has said, is the question of in- augurating a system of building and maintaingmain roads throughout the county by the county. In tnat respect I have had a pretty long experience, and a personal ac- quaintance with the question. I was among those in our county who inaugurated a system of establishing county roads, and perhaps it would be just as well that I should give a resume of what did occur. i6 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. In the latter part of the fifties the idea had become a very strong one in the County of Hastings that we needed a better class of roads than we had. No railways ran into the interior, and there were no means of communication between the back part of the Jcounty and the front except over the common mud roads . On that account the county seemed to have peculiar advantages for the inauguration of the county system. In one sense it had, but the building of railroads since, although they run chiefly at the front, has changed the situation somewhat. All our produce was shipped in those days by boats, and could only, of course, be shipped during the summer season. In the winter generally the grain and the produce remaining after navigation closed were moved to Belleville to be shipped by boat in the spring. You see the importance the road question was to us. Fortunately there were two rivers in our county, one emptying mto the Bay of Quinte at Belleville, and the other at Trenton, over which there are a number of large bridges, and the question of good roads became an im- portant and vital one to ms, and people talked earnestly about the necessity of having better roads. But the question was, how to get them ? You would find that in some townships in the county the conditions would perhaps be better there than in other places, and the local council and the people a little more enterprising, and immedi- ately behind them municipalities that would not spend a dollar for road improve- ments, as th?y were afraid to tax the people. There is nothing worth having that does not cost you something. You pay taxes ; the public tax is all right, but you want the money properly applied. The idea of those in favor of this system was that the taxes might be applied in a better way than to be handled by the townships for the tjeneral use of the building of leading county roads. The matter was discussed, and finally companies built new lines of roads for short distances. Plank roads were the first thing. They ran from Bellevifle toward Trenton and back into the county a few miles. They charged toll. Nobody thought it was a thing for the county to take over ; but was left to private enterprise. These were object lessons, after all. We found out how much easier it was when you reached such roads to move our loads. People began to learn there was something in it, and the best way was to have it with as little pos- sible expense. These plank roads, which were all short-lived, were changed into gravel roads. By By-Law the County Council fixed the rate of toll. But sorne of us — and I was a very young man at thfe time — thought that if they could be built four or five miles back from Belleville, why not all through the county. The question was to get the County Council to agree to that view of the case. If we had to adopt a system of building and keeping them up, we had to get the assent of the County Council to do it. When I tell you that it took four or five years from that point to get the people to consent to build roads and take toll off them, you that have had any experience in getting people to adopt a new idea will believe me. We had to consider all the rela- tionships, and had a by-law introduced into the County Council that stated that such and such a line of road from point to point was to be a county gravel road. But there were always parts of the county that you could not reach with a gravel lOad, whose representative would not consent to the By-Law. There was another very common answer to our proposals : " The taxes were high enough. We have got along with the roads as they are, and can continue to get along with them." Of course, the moving freights were costing twice as much as if the roads had been better. There were, as I remarked to your Chairman, difficulties always presenting themselves. One of these was, and I have seen it since quite as much as at that time, it was hard to keep enough men continuously in the County Council long enough to work a scheme or plan through that body. In our council every year brought back one-third new men. Some men would decline to remain ; others that were most active in ttie scheme were amoiig those that were left at home. All these difficulties presented themselves, and still continue to do so. In our case it happened that there were half a dozen men whose seats were sure in the County Council if they cared to occupy them. Among these was myself. I happened for the .time being to meet the wishes of my constituents and I was elected Reeve of the Township, and, consequently, a member of the County Council for twenty years. I may say just here that I don't like the new change that has been inaugurated in the representation of counties. I don't think the county has gained by it. They have saved a certain amount of expenses, 'but they have lost a large amount of experience. (Hear, hear). We set to work to educate the community, just as Mr. Campbell is doing in his valuable work all over the country. I hear the favorable opinions from the editors of newspapers and the resolutions that are passed in the different gatherings that he ^^ ■ ,/ -^ MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 17 ■^M. V- ; . addvesses. Mr. Pattullo has done much in the saoie direction, but the difficulty is to get the people to act. They endorse what you say, (hear, hear). But you have got to get, gentlemen, to this : I said a few days ago to a party who came to me and complamed to me as a Magistrate of the infraction of the township " Local Option " by- law. He said, " they are selling liquor just as much as if they had a license. Why don't you punish them according to law ? " He said " you don't want to quarrel with your neighbors by informing on the hotel-keeper ". I told him that eiftry man who voted for the law pledged himself to see it carried out. (Applause). If you vote for the good roads and believe they are right, then do something to carry them out. So in our council, half a dozen of us tried to educate the people to act. We had the local press with us; they were heartily in favor of it. You could reach the local editor. We had them with as and they wrote articles and we got articles printed. We held meet- ings in different neighborhoods and went on as far as possible to show the benefits that would arise out of having good roads, and we also tried to show the necessity of having the^ county build the roads. We wanted the county to assume certain lines of road, and assuming them, keep them at the expense of the county, — without toll-gates. It maybe within the knowledge of some of you here how often that question has been up before the Legislature. Every year somebody would move for doing away with t\e ♦^oU-gates in some parts of the Province. Then I would introduce my doctrine favoring the council buying up of the roads making them county roads. Perhaps the road in question did not run by somebody's immediate vicinity, and he would get up and oppose. " Let those who travel the road pay for it." We intro- duced two by-laws m council with a scheme of routes that we had considered. I think the first scheme was about fifty miles. We found when we had that mapped out we had been too careful. The by-law was that we should turn these roads into gravel roads, add additional lines and pay for them by borrowing money on the credit of the county. The whole county had a vote of course, and defeated it. In the next case we changed the character of the by-law to meet the objections that were made and presented that. That met with the same fate as the first.only there was a larger vote for it. That at once taught us this lesson : Make the benefit of the expenditure felt annually, if you hope to carry the whole county. The third by-law submitted was carried by a good majority. Then we got them to take up the question : How are you going to maintain these roads ? Some said. Levy a tax on the whole county. That was tne most unpopular phase of the question, and the only way we could hope to carry that was that toll-gates should be put on certain portions of the roads and sufficient taxes levied to keep the roads in repair. That was carried, and we commenced to construct lines of gravel roads running out from the county town into various parts of the county. I can quite sympathize with Mr. Campbell, in his well directed efforts to educate the people. One objection to free roads was : " Let the men who travel the road pay for it . I need not go into that question now, for the answer must be so patent to every intelligent man here. The man who stays at home is even more interested than the man who travels the road. If he does not go to the market for articles, some one brings them to him and uses the road. This is such a prominent principle in political economy that it is hardly worth while discussing it. Roads were built, toll-gates were put up, and we com- menced to travel the roads. Well, at first the people were delighted. We had got the roads at first cost ; we were not going to have any trouble hereafter. But we had first to collect toll and then hire a man to keep the road in repair. We had people who got hold of the funds and did not account for them fairly ; I suppose they are in every county. (Laughter). And we found out after awhile that it was such a series of troubles and difficulties that it convinced some who had been in favor of toll-gates that we had better do without them. We could not abolish these roads without the consent of the county. The people found the inconvenience of having to pay so often, and the feeling grew in favour of doing away with the toll-gates and making the roads free. In the agitation that followed we had public interest with us and carried the day.making the roads free to everybody,and without toll, to be kept up at the expense of the county. This fifty or sixty miles of road which we had in the first place was dealt with in construction in this way; engineers were called upon to lay out the roads, fix the depth, width, amount of slope, and all these things were done according to the principles of engineering, and we found that the cost to build a mile of road in that county was $2. coo. We had to pay so many men to do it. We had to pay engineers, the man who superintended the building of it, and his assistants, and with the experience that came to us in the matter we dicided that $2,000 a mile to build a «SglWB, 18 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. gravel road, was too much, and we adopted another system. The question of main- taining the road then came up. First, the plan was for the county engineer, a part of whose duties was to oversee any work ordered by the council, and to arrange for the drawing of broken stone or gravel. But there had to be somebody there to check the quantitv drawn, and then we had to pay for its being spread upon the road. We found that was expensive. We had to have so many men to watch others. We tried another system. This was letting out by the mile, from five miles to twenty-five miles, in what would be called a section. A man could take five miles, or four sections of twenty miles, or more if he were a resident gf the county. He was to keep the road in repair. A regular plan and agreement was drawn up by the solicitor^ and yet we were having all sorts of trouble in getting people to do what they promised to do. Men failed to keep up their sections of the road, claims would be made for their neglect, and the question of paying would come up before the council. Some of their friends who were interested in the votes in that locality, would intercede for them, and do a little log-rolling, and they would let the man off. In fact it be- came well known you could not get a verdict against a county contractor. We decided that some other system must be introduced that would be bttter. I claim the credit of introducing our present system, which has now been in operation for twenty-five years or more. The plan was that we appoint a gravel road commit- tee. The number at that time was seven, chosen from the prmcipal townships of the county where the largest taxes were paid. They were to choose a chairman, and have the power during the recess of the council to control and direct the management and repairing of these roads. This by-law also provided that there should be a super- intendent of gravel roads appointed by the county council, who should act under the chairman of this committee, and foremen who would h^ve a certain number of men with them, and distribute them in different parts of the county wherever the roads- were to be repaired, who would move about from point to point" and report once every two months to this committee, who also made a report, when the pay lists were made up, to the regular meetings of the county council. I had taken such an active interest m the matter, and had had so much to say in it, that they said : " Very well, we will put you in as chairman, and see ow you will make out." It was a question of de- ciding whether that system was the best or not. We knew what we paid for repairing, and we could tell exactly at the end of the year what it had cost under the old system. I devoted a great part of my time that year to helping the superintendent to make the new system, if possible, a success. We kept an account of the labor paid for, the amount of work done, the distance the gravel was hauled, number of culverts built^ and new roads, and when we came to the council and made our report, it was found we had done the work at about one-half the former cost. That would seem to say to everybody that the new system would be adopted by the council. It was not so. It was the old story, " A new broom sweeps clean ; wait until it has been tried longer and see whether it works or not." Men had been getting jobs for five-mile and longer sections. There were no jobs under this new system ; that was the idea. Well, I was elected again to council, but with a good many new men, and I saw very clearly from what was said that we were going to have that system upset, if possible, and the old one introduced again if something was not done to prevent it. What I did do was this : I recommended the council — and they carried it out — to advertise for tenders for the whole of the roads, in sections from one to twenty miles. At a meeting in March we opened the tenders and decided what course to pursue. We had a grea\'; many tenders, but we could not put enough of these tenders together to do the whole work that did not cost us a great deal more than the system we had adopted. The men who tendered for it, wanted to make some money ; they were not doing it as a matter of benevolence. Everyone said to himself, " I want to make some money out of it." The result was that under that system, if carried out, the cost would have been doubled. We got the consent of the council to try the new plan another year, and we had to go through just what we had done the previous year, and make a strong effort to do the very best in the matter with the men and the material that we could. We were able to report at the end of the second year that it was equally successful with the last. That settled the matter for all time ; that is now the system we have to-day of keeping the county roads in repair in the County of Hastings. The important thing at the beginning was to get a good man as a superintendent. You want a good super- intendent and an intelligent chairman of the committee, and the system works like a. charm. The committee should be composed of the best men in the council. :A«3... MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 19 The first idea I wish to bring before you is that where we paid $2,000 a mile for the construction of highways in the first place, we can build them now for from $1, 000 to $1,300. We know what we are talking about. A good, practical man can do as well as'an engineer with a large salary. The first principle laid down was to £Ct the water away from where you are going to have the road built ; and we found where water ran and made the ditches there. We also found that when we got the water away from the roads, we wanted to keep it away and made our culverts to match. We have j^one on with that system, and I know from personal knowledge in the past that last year the County Council of Hastings spent $i6,ooo on the gravel roads and building and maintaining bridges of the county.cn gravel county roads about $8,000. We have now between 4oo and 500 miles of gravel roads, kept up by the council. The cost is about $20 per mile on the average, and the roads are kept in just as good repair as when constructed. It is a fact tnat in the County of Hastings it does not matter if the snow has just left the roads or summer- time ; you can travel the moment you strike oneof these gravel roads with the greatest of ease, as the road is fine and in good condition. You could not possibly induce the people of the county to do away with the system. Why is the system better than if the roads were managed by the towiiships? First the council of one township may be enterprising and keep up the roads,while that of the adjoining municipality may be the contrary. Another point is, the county can do it cheaper. We have an experienced man in the superintendent who keeps account of all the outlay. The chairman of the gravel roads committee goes with him and drives over the roads. We laid down this principle that when a piece of road gets out of repair, it should be repaired at once. It is much cheaper to repair then than if the road were allowed to go down. By your superintendent you place your men where you want them and when you want them. I must say, further, that these county roads became object lessons. Nobody can better tell you that than Mr. Campbell, who is trying to get people to build better lines of roads. If you see the benefit of it you will buUd more. These leading roads being kept up by the county, the roads leading from them, kept up by the townships, have improved since 6y 100 per cent. We have got things down to a system. A man gets so much for delivering gravel and the foremen see it spread. We hire certam men who are skilled, for a good deal of skill is required to build roads and we pay them good wages, but we see that we get the value of our money. These men are not working for the individual ; they are working for the county. Every rate- payer has an interest in the work and is to that extent an overseer. These men know that their remaining on the work for good pay depends upon their doing the work properly ; and every tax-payer that passes their work is a proprietor.- We have a system of roads throughout our county which I am proud to say is up to the best methods. We have between 4oo and 500 miles of county roads of the very best class that can be built. We have the same difficulties they have everywhere. We had hills to climb, we had rivers to cross, we had roads of clay, of mud and of sand. All these difficulties we have overcome and the present generation scarcely know how they got the roads. There is a sort of a peculiar idea that the roads were better in the County of Hastings than anywhere else, and grew into their present efficiency. The facts are that the few men who started this system had the courage of their convictions, and they stuck to it as you will have to stick to it, as anybody will have to stick it, as Mr. CompbeH is going about the country educating the people to stick to it, in order to achieve success. Eventually the public will be on your side and will see that you acted wisely in having good roads. (Applause). The Chairman : " What about improved road machines?" Mr. Wood : We have them now. We were slow to take advantage of them. But have rollers and that sort of thing, and we have found them very effective. The Chairman : " It lessens the cost?" Mr. Wood: — Yes, machinery as a rule does. Lately, since I went into the Legislature I did not give so much attention to county matters as heretofore, but I have always been deeply interested in them. I have always kept track of th'* expenses and the re- ■^m^^^. 20 MUNICIPAL OOOO ROADS CONVENTION. suits, and it is with the j^reatest possible pleasure that in passing through the county I see the results of the well-directed efforts made by the few men in the hrst place. We have extended these roads gradually from year to year. People won't stand bad roads with us now. (Hear, hear). Belleville had been our chief market place. We began from there and built a road twelve miles west to Trenton on the Bay of (2uinte. East of us fourteen miles was Deseronto, and to that point we ran another road. Then those towns out in the northern part of the county began to assume shape, and many places have grown up since then. I live in the Town of Madoc. When we com- menced this system we had to carry every bushel of grain over those bad, muddy roads ; between us and Belleville there was no other point. Whatever was shipped in had to come through Belleville. Of course one of the roads was built to Madoc. Other roads ran to Shannonville and to Springbrook, Tweed and Marmora. But since we have a railway running to our town, we became a central point for the purchasing of grain and farm products. You naturally say, What about that ? The roads then began to radiate from our town ; there was a necessity for them. Now, in addition to the old county road, we have one running to the west twelve miles to Marmora ; another east to Tweed, another to Bridgewater,another to Queensboro', another north and another east into the interior of the county^ And every central place has roads branching out from them. The result is that in our county we have not got such a thing as leading bad roads. The good roads have increased the wealth of the county very materially. They brought the country nearer to the towns and stimulated local enterprise, because where a man could draw fifty bushels of grain before, he can draw one hundred bushels now. And so it has gone on. Farms several miles from centres are as valuable as those near by. The present generation don't know how these roads came about. They only know that at the meetings of the township councils among the items is, so much for " County Purposes," and this levv is paid over to the county treasurer, and the accounts are payable on the order of the gravel road committee to the superintendent, who pays to the men who have the roads in charge. It might be remarlced here that in these thirty years we have had but two road superintendents. Both were men of high character and ability. We have never had any trouble about the expenditures of money ; we have never had any difficulty in having the work done. The ratepayers travelling in each direction noted the supermtendent's acts. The men under him were in the same position, and wanted to do the work properly for the same reasons. So the whole machine has been working satisfactorily, and, so far as I know, it is the very best possible system that could be introduced for the purpose. QUESTIONS BY DELEGATES. In answer to questions Mr. Wood said, in part : — We have the statute labor applied along the roads in the townships, by the local Councils. We simply handed it over to the townships ; they can attend to it best. The pathmaster can take it, and place it wherever he sees fit. The larger proportion of our roads by considerable is gravel. Mr. Campbell, I think, doesn't believe fully in my theory about broken stone. The idea is very prevalent that broken stone, properly broken and laid on the road is a better class of material than any other. Engineers don't hesitate to tell that this is a fact. That may be true,but let me tell you another thing. If you lay a road a certain depth and width with broken stone, pass heavy waggons over it, in wet weather the passing of these waggons over it will gradually displace the stones and make ruts. Now when you have cut through that broken stone you never can cement it again until you pick the stone up and lay it down again. There is an-, other thing : We had the idea that it was neccessary to screen the gravel to ta..e out all the fine stuff, and put on the road only that above a certain size. We used broken stone for a time, until someone wiser than the rest of us said, if you take out the screenings and put up the coarser gravel on the road, rolling and binding it, it will be just as well if not better than broken stone. Experience has taught us that it is the cheapest and most effective way. We use broken stone now only when we cannot get the gravel. Our county town is Belleville on the south, Madoc is a centre 26 miles north, and at both is a considerable market. Of course the railways have lessened road traffic considerably. Still there is a great deal of traffic from Northumberland on the I MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 21 is generally under* can till you get to west and also from Addington on the east into the county, and it stood in those counties that all you have to do is take what you _ „ Hastings and the roads will be such that you can add to it. Commercial travellers say they can drive greater distances and cheaper in Hastings than in any other County m the Province. I will give our own experience. When we borrowed the money on our roads thirty years ago we issued debentures at six per cent, and got 87 on the $ioo for cur money. You put them on the market to-day bearing four per cent, and you would get a premium for them. That is the diflference between then and now. I would say it was the best we couu' do then. It is better now. ADDRESS BY MR. ANDREW PATTULLO, M.P.P. I 1 MR. ANDREW PATTULLO, M.P.P., on being introduced, said :-Mr. Chair- man and Gentleman, in appearing before you this evening I would ask your indulgence in one respect; 1 am a little hoarse and intend to speak very briefly, a fact which will probably please you. Allow me to thank you for the invitation to be here. If you had invited me to come and instruct you in road-making, I would not have been here. I came here to Icarn, first, what the representative men here had to say upon this subject. I suppose I could say I have taken some interest in this question tor many years. I began about ten years ago, with possibly some degree of success, an agitation for good roads which might develop into a general nrovement. There had been isolated movements here and there, such as were led by Mr. Wood in Hastings, by Mr. Queen, a journalist, in Huron, and by others before my time. 1 felt that these movements had not had the general result which they might, and tor that reason I devoted a great deal of my time, and as much energy as I could throw in it, to try and make a provincial movement out of the agitation for good roads, with what degree of success many of you are aware. Now, for that purpose, we formed what is called a Good Roads Association, and I just want to say a word as to that. The Good Roads Association was formed for a temporary purpose, to give definiteness to the agitation, and I think it did a good work in its day. If it had done nothing more than to lead to the office of Provincial Road Instructor, which I had the pleasure of suggest- ing, it more than justified its existence. For the last two or three years the Ontario Good Roads Association has only had a nominal existence. ' have not called it to- gether for a couple of years or so, and it rather now exists on paper than in reality. I am very glad to see that the movement is being transferred from a voluntary associ- ation to the County Councils, that the municipalities and the farmers see that this question is now their own and not a question of a few men or any particular associa- tion. I have had very great pleasure indeed in seeing the work transferred to the en- ergetic and able Provincial Road Instructor. I shall not say anything with reference to him, lor I believe it is now universally conceded throughout the Province that he has done a grea. work indeed. I do not believe that the greatness and importance of his work can be realized as much now as it will be in the future. But it is not too much to say of Mr. Campbell that wherever he goes he makes a good impression. It is not too much to say that his method of presenting the good roads question to the farmers and others has met with universal approval. His efforts have been directed to helping the people to help themselves. We met in the beginning of cur work with apathy, with even positive hostility ; the movement was ridiculed, and a great many people misunderstood the motive of the people at the head of it. They thought our purpose was to fasten upon the farmers and the municipalities somethirg they did not want. Nothing was further from our object. Our object was purely educative, until we got the municipalities and farmers to take hold oi the Question themselves. We went upon the principle that in this democratic countiy, wnerc law and our constitu- tion and all government action must originate and rest with the will of the people, we felt that nothing could be done by the representatives of the people until we cot the good-will of the people themselves; until the people began to realize that bad roads were expensive, and ihat good reads were cheap as well as necessary ; until then we could not hope to succeed. That was the object ol those who in the first place took 33 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. '! I hold of this good roads agitation, and it is no little satisfaction we feel who were at the beginning of the movement, now that Ontario is beginning to lead in this respect and is being followed by Quebec, where they have a Good Roads Association and have taken the matter up in the Legislatuie in a most progressive way. And in the Mari- time Provinces they have taken example from Ontario, and also in the West. So that the movement has gone beyond the bounds of the Province of Ontario altoeether. And one of the proudest things I have felt of late is that Mr. Campbell's work has been ob- served abroad. In Europe good roads is an old matter. They made good roads there thousands of years ago, as f realized personally in walking over the Apian Way at Rome. The history of road- making- in England dates from the beginnmg of this century. In France they have ideal highways ; and one of their greatest causes of Prosperity is in the perfection of their rural roads. Now the German Government, a rovernment of trained men — because I believe in no country in the world is there higher intelligence brought to bear on the government of the country than there — they have recognized the value of Mr. Campbell's reports, and they are now being pub- lished in the German language. (Applause). That is saying to the farmers and busi- ness men of this Province that this must be pretty sound doctrine when the people of other countres and other provinces are preparing to follow our lead. I am not going to discuss at length the good roads problem or anything else at length. I believe that your presence here, if it means anything at all, simply means that you have made ttp your minds that good roads are neccessary and that bad roads don't pay, and it would be a waste of time for me to argue before you that good roads are necesssary. It is not a waste of time in many parts of the country, because the battle of public discussion on this subject IS very far from being finished. I take it for granted that you are not only representative men, but that you are progressive men, and all that I desire to say with reference to the problem is that I think you, as public men who have studied public questions closely, will agree that the greatest problem that faces the Canadian people is that of transportation in various forms. It is the one on which the success of industry depends, on which the success of agricultural as well as technical industry de- f lends. It is upon the solution of the transportation problem that profit depends, t does iiOt make any difference whether a farmer in tne western States or Ontario has a thousand acres of land and can raise Jo bushels to the acre, if it costs him more to produce it and ship it to the markets of the world than he can get for it. By every cent that you can reduce the cost of production or transportation you increase the profit of the farmer. We have been spending hundreds or millions of dollars in this country on the transportation question, building railways, deepening our canals, pro- viding facilities for cold storage on steamboats ; on both sides of the question of transportation we have been spending enormous sums of money. I say that it is not enough ; we must go farther. While we have two great arteries of commerce in the canals and railways in this country and while we are trying, — we have scarcely be- gun it yet, — while we are trying to grapple with the great problem of compelling the transportation companies to do the business of the country as cheaply as it ought to be done, and at moderate profits, we should go further. We should go beyond the main arteries of trade and get to the little arteries, which are the rural highways of the country. And until we do that we have not solved the transportation problem. It is not enough to have good railways and canals while the rural highways are in such a bad condition that for a considerable part of the year they are almost impass- able, thus enhancing the cost of marketing your produce at the very outset. And I know of no direction in which money could be better spent than upon the rural high- ways for that reason. Someone spoke here today about the cost of roads. Why, sir, it seems to me that there can be no more room for discussion upon that subject. Good roads will not cost the country anything, simply because bad roads are now costing you infinite- ly more than good roads would cost you. They are costing you more in wear and tear and loss and lack of economy than the best roads they have in France would if we only had them working. Some people say it is not so neccessary to have good roads now as it would have been some years ago, because electric railways and motor carriages and new inventions are doing away with the necessity of expenditure in this direction. I do not agree with that at all. I do not believe that electric railways will ever MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVRWVION. n I tnultiply to such an extent as to do away with good highways. They were going to do away with horses too, and we can give them the same answer. It is all the more necessary to have perfect roads throughout the country on which to rui^ the motor carriages. Now, sir, just allow me to say this, that apart from the economy in the way of transporting your produce from vour farms to vour markets, there are other consider- ations which should influence tne public, ana which you as representative men will have no difficulty in answering. Fur instance, I believe that good roads in such a dis- trict as this, near the City of Toronto, would add enormously to the value of farm property, in this way : There is a constant tendency now for men who have made money m the cities to have rural residences and to buy farm». That is a healthful tendency, and it is spreading in this country. I know of no way you can attract men into the country so much as by building good roads between the towns and the cities and the rural districts. And I do not need to speak to you here of the attractiveness of farm life. I believe that a great many people leave the farm, a great many young men are leaving the farm, simply on account of the condition of the roads, and the con- ditions of life which bad roads impose upon those who live in the country. I shall not say more upon that point. I desire to speak a few words with reference to what has transpired to-day, with reference to A-hat has been said by Mr, Wood. It is not too much to say of Mr Wood that although he was a prominent public man at one time and occupied a prominent Sosition in the Legislature and has had a worthy career, I believe that those who know im will agree that probably the best monument that Mr. Wood has left to himself, the best monument of public usefulness, is the good roads of the County of Hastings, which have been described to you here to-day. (Cheers). I have never heard any- thing more valuable or more practical than his talk on them. It is one from which ■every County Councillor in the Province could learn something. If we could only get him to go with Mr. Campbell, the good roads movement would receive a great im- petus. From the very first my views have agreed with those expressed by Mr. Wood to-day. I have looked to the County Councils, as well as the Township Councils, for the first step in the the solution of this good roads question. I believe every County in the Province should follow the example of the County of Hastings— ^and they cannot do it any too soon — and establish a system which shall be distinct from the minor one, which may be called the township system, and establish another in some form under the direct management of the County Councils. If you will permit me to make an observation here. Some people question the usefulness of municipal councils. I am not one of those ; quite the reverse. I believe they are as useful now as they ever were. But you know that many of the questions which they had to face are nbw settled. The result is that you have not got as much work upon your hands as formerly, and I would suggest that if you want to keep the County Councils before the public as valuable bodies, you should show the public that there is sontething for you tc do and that you can do it well. I know of no greater service, or any direction in which you could do so much good, than to take hold of the management of the leading highways of your respective Counties. (Applause). I should be the last one to make a reference to any question of political discussion. I am not going to discuss the value of the new County Councils. I am not at all sur- prised that some people do not regard them altogether with favor, and hold opposite opinions on this subject upon which we can disagree, and q^uite naturally. But I think the new (Councils are lietter bodies for the solution of this good roads question than they were before : and for two reasons : In the first place, they are smaller bodies, consequently more effective, more easily managed ; they are smaller bodies and, I think, in that respect they are more efficient for this single purpose to which I have re- ferred. In the second place, they are now elected for two years, which I think is a good thing, and I think the members of every municipal council should be elected for two years. (Hear, hear). In the case of Townships and Towns I should like to see half of them step out each year. I say that by way of parenthesis. The point that I desire to make is that there can be no more efficient, no better body, than the present County Councils to do this work, and I think it is infinitely to your credit that you are taking hold of this question realizing how much depends upon it in tue interests of the people which you represent. T 24 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. Now. sir, I shall not advise you how you are to take hold of the roads, any more than Mr. Wood did. I will say thj/^ that I believe wherever there shall be a County system of roads as in Hastings Cqunty>-,\t will have this good effect, it will produce emulation— I shall nci?t say rivalry— 'jsitween' the County Council and the Township Councils; the Coiamissi'Oner or Enginieer wTio will manage the County roads will yie with those who have charge of the Township roads, and vice versa. If the country roads are kept up to a high state of perfection, it will have a healthy effect on the Township Councils. I think the larger body, representing the larger interests, the body which represents the larger population and the greater wealth, I think that is the body to take the lead, and that is why I am a strong advocate of the County system of roads in every County. I took that position in T893 ii^ the first address I made at the formation of the Oood Roads Association, and yeats of thought and reading and experience and study of this question, as it is being sr'ved in other countries, has confirmed my impression thut it is through the County Councils we must look for the first immediate, the first great step in the solution of this vast problem. And why is it that the County Councils can do this efficiently ? Simply for this reason ; that it is easy for them to act. They are not so numerous ; there are not so many Counties in the whole Province. It would not take very much of a propaganda or much missionary work, and I believe that as a result of this meeting to-night of muni- cipal delegates there will in a few years be a system of county roads in all the Counties of Ontario. What should you do ? You will put trained intelligence in charge of your roads. When you want to make cheese you don't put a Blacksmith at it. When you >^ant to build a house you don't put a railway mechanic at it. When you build roads, what do you do to them ? It is a most difficult undertaking. It depends on experience and special knowledge. What do you do ? You put them in charge of those who don't know the principles of road-making, who have not been trained in road-making. Is that sound policy ? I say it is entirely a waste of money. I am not surprised at what Mr. Wood said hereto-day. I do not know the figures of the taxation in Hastings, but I venture to say that the Countv of Hastings pays very much less for its good roads than any other county in the Province pays for its bad roads ; and I believe Mr. Campbell could give the figures to prove it. The cheapest roads in the Province today are the high class roads in the County of Hastings. (Applause). As I said before, good roads are cheap. They cost nothing, simply because they save money. Bad roads are infinitf.ly higher, and you can- not possibly afford to have them. Now, before I sit down just let me say one word with reference to the resolutions that hKve come up. In my position i do not propose to express at this time an opinion. I do not want to seem to influence yours. I know nothing about the origin of this Con- vention, nor do I know what your intentions are. I will say this, having thought out this question for some years, that if the Ontario Legislature has money to spend, if the revenues of this Province will permit, I know of no direction in which the expenditure of pub- lic money would do more good than in assisting in building and maintaining permanent goods roads throughout the country. The Legislature is giving back to the people in various forms millioi s of dollars. VVe have given back to the people between fifty and one huudred millions in various forms in recent years. We would simply be giving back to the people the money in another way if some scheme could be devised for assisting the municipalities in a small way at least in road making if the movement could be started. There are direct as well as indirect ways of aiding the municipalities. If in no other way it were possible to aid you, it might be possible to follow the precedent of our drain- age laws, or the precedent the Government has set in various ways, by which you could noi get your bonds guaranteed by the Legislature. For instance, if you could bor- row money at 2 per cent instead of 4 per cent, it would make an important diflerence to you. In the discussion of this matter there are a number of suggestions that you may very well consider. I do not throw these matters out by way of opinion, but merely by way of discussion. The Legislature above all rests upon the will of the people. It is the -rreature of the people, just as you, the members of the council, are the representatives of the people. We cannot do anything unless the people are behind. Mr. Wood referred to the question of statute labor. I believe that you never will get good roads in the counties, you never will get them in the townships, until statute labor is absolutely done away with. (Cheers). It is simply a relic of barbarism. I do not be- lieve that in a single municipality in Ontario is the statute labor worth 25 cents a day. However, I am not going to discuss that. The point is this, we cannot abolish statute labor by act of Parliament until the will of the people is behind us, and for that reason, al- though I have been in the Legislature for some years, although I have been an enthusiastic MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 25 ':*-sa>a^ advocate of good roads, there is no use in trying to get beyond public opinion. The first step is to rouse public opinion ; the second step is to interest municipal councils, and when we can get the farmers and the business men down to take hold of this question — we have gi-'xio take hold of this question , as you will find — I think it is approaching solu- tion ,-,and"Q3<;3«!Xt, -Step will be, I think, through the Legislature. The Legislature is a very -fiefei-ential'ocrdy; ,It will pass about any law the people want, but it will not ordinarily ; iss laws the peop'". Jo not want. There are some directions in which our municipal laws could be improved, and they could be improved in this way : I think the laws ought to be op^.ional. I do not feel like forcing any kind of legislation either upon municipalities or on the people with reference to this question. I think our legislation will have to be optional. That is the principle upon which I have always gone. Although no one desires good roads more than 1 do, I never would like to see them got by the Government taking hold over municipalities or the people. I think we can improve the law by increasing the facility by which th^ people can get rid of statute labor, and then the people can settle the matter for themselves. We can increase the facility by which a municipal council can take hold of its roads, put them under commissioners, or under a competent overseer, and manage the roads by what I shall call common-sense principles, making a permanent roadway to bepin with, and keeping it properly when it is made. And just let me say here ; let me make one vagrant observation as I pass. Nowadays you have got to make roads by ma- chinery ; yott cannot make them economically in any other way. It is marvellous what we can do with machinery. But I almost hold up my hands in despair when I see some municipalities putting perfect machinery in the hands of people who don't know how to make use of it. The result is that some of the best machinery in this country, put into in- cor.jpetent hands in the municipalities, is ruining the roads rather than improving them. Is it not true ? ( " Yes." ) I have seen whole miles of roads almost ruined by machinery which would make perfect roads if in charge of trained intelligence. But you will never get good roads nnu) everything in connection with roads is under trained intelligence. Let me congratulate you most heartily on the success of this gathering. It is a much la. ger gathering than I expected, because you know it is not easy to get men to come from di:.tant parts of the province on a subject of this sort. I have been surprised not only at the number, but at the representative character of the men who are assembled here. There are sufficient men here, and of such calibre, that I believe this meeting should cause a profound impression throughout the province, if you will only go forward. I would suggest that when you conclude that this meeting be adjourned rather than dissolved. After yDU have considered this question and threshed it out, if you would send out your resolutions in a circular letter to the municipalities it would be discussed at the coming elections and at the January sessions of councils. Then you could meet again early in February after the municipalities had discussed it and you would have produced a very great effect in the country. If you desire to get at the Legislature I do not see that you could do it in any better way. I make that as a suggestion to you. If you do keep it in your hands tor a while you will solve it, control legislative action, and do a very great service to the Province of Ontario. (Applause). ADDRESS BY HON. E. J. DAVIS. -\ -["ON. E. J. DAVIS, on being called upon. >aid : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen: I I I am extremely pleased to be present here this morning, for a variety of rear.ons. \ In the first place, I desire to reciprocate the kindly words of my good friend Mr. Wood, the Chairman. We had the pleasure of being associated together as members of the legislature for some time. It is quite true that we did not always agree in our views on public questions. Good men differ very often, and each has a per- fect right to his own view, but we always did agree to treat each other as gentlemen ought. I am glad to be here also, because this room— while perhaps it is not important to you— brings back to my mind memories of the past. Nearly twenty years ago I had the honor of having for the first time a'seat in the County Council. A little later the mem- bers did me the too great honor of electing me Warden of the county. Some gentle- men at that time, who were fond of going back through the records, said that I was the youngest man ever elected to th^ii;.. position in this county. I have always felt that I owed a great deal to the County u^^ York ftJrt*}^ opportunity I had there of becom- ing familiar with the requiremen/r, ol the' people e (i great county such as it is. I ha\ a 1 36 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. I i li often fouad this information to be a great value to me in later years as a member of the legislature. Gentlemen from other counties will pardon me when I say that the County of York is the greatest county in the Province, and especially the northern part, which is the greatest part of the greatest county. (Laughter and Applause). To bear out that statement, your records will give some indication of its truthfulness. The present Warden of the county is from north York. I see that he has taken a good deal of mterest in inaugurating this Convention. The Clerk of the county, who is acting as secretary for this Convention, is also from North York, and was one of my best friends for many years. The first gentleman 1 noticed this morning occupying an important position was my good friend Mr. Lundy, who also is one of the County Councillors from north York. You are here from all parts of the Province for the purpose of discussing a question which, in the judgement of many men more competent to judge than I, is one of the most important matters we have before us in public affairs to day, — the question of good roads. It is only saying what you are all familiar with, and it ought to be repeated from the press and fought out and considered very carefully by all the ratepayers in the Prov- ince that transportation in all its forms is to-day one of the great problems of the age. The farmer in this Province must compete with the farmer in every part of the world, and the farmer who is so situated that from his barn-door to the markets of the world he has the best and cheapest facilities for handling his products, will come out best in the competition of the day. Millions of money are being spent in deepening and extending our canals and building railways, perhaps the finest in the world, and while that is all neces- jsary in order to reduce freight rates, there is another feature, that is the one in which you are especially interested here today, that of getting the roads from the farmers' doors to the local markets m as good shape as possible to get your products easily to market. It is not only a question of good roads for the general grain markets, but it is^lso more and more a question of good roads in connection with the other industries in the Province. We take the cheese industry. The product of the cheese factories in this Province has grown immensely. The money brought in from the old land from the sale of cheese and distributed among the farmers and business men and others has largely increased from year to year. It is very essential that there should be good roads throughtout the Prov- ince in order that the milk can be taken readily and easily from the farmers' doors to the factories, wherever they may be located. Our butter factories are just beginning. They also will require good roads for the same object. Our butter exports this year have grown very, very much. There are other things which will come up in the future in which we are very much interested. In the United States the PostoflBice Department for the last three or four years has been making experiments to see whether they could have a local postal delivery by waggons to the farmers' doors once or twice a day. The result has been wonderfully satisfactory : so much so that each succeeding year they have in- creased the area over which this new postal delivery is inaugurated. They find that they have been able to give a local postal delivery to the farmers' doors for less money than it cost under the old system. I believe that the time is coming perhaps not far in the future, when in our land, if our country roads are improved and made good roads the year around, the Postoffice Department will be able to do the same for the farmers hare. These are only a few of the things which show us the very important part which good roads will play in the years to come. The question is, how are we to have these good roads ; what is the best plan to lay down and carry out in order to get the fruit or the results of the better system of roads ? If I were to tell you that, I would spoil the balance of your meeting, because that is what the meeting is called to decide. (Laughter). However, I shall not tell you what the best plan is. You will make recommendations in your resolutions, showing your judgment, your experience, your knowledge on this question. There are two or three general features on which I might say a word or two. One is, the expenditure of money on roads. Now, I think that in any movement that is inaugurated for the improvement of the roads there should he a very careful and wise consideration as to the expenditure of money. I do not believe the people — speaking now for the masses of the people — will be very much in love with a scheme which will mean largely increased taxation I believe it is possible that the Good Roads Commissioner, Mr. Campbell, could give you the figures. I can speak a word with reference to him here without being considered political at all, because his work is not political, but for the g«od of all the people of the Province. I believe there are no differences of opinion as to the results which have been achieved during the time he has acted in that capacity. I was fortunate enough to get him to visit several meetings in North York. At the conclusion of every meeting there were resolutions moved and sec- i^fjuaffhiawiriiii •t MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 27 onded expressing appreciation of his efforts, cf bis advice and the suggestions he had made, and the Conservatives and Liberals vied with each other in making these resolu> tions. Therefore I can say without any political aspect whatever that Mr. Campbell's general principle upon that line, it seems to me, is a good one to follow m your recom- mendations in connection v.'ith this gathering, which is, not an increased expenditure of money, but a more careful use of the money that is already expended. Enormous sums of money are being expended each year on the roads in this Province. The statute labor and cash grants are appalling. That money and labor might be expended in better chan- nels with more permanent results, and, without increasing the expenditures, we might have a very much more efficient system of roads than we now enjoy. The question is re- garding the control of these roads. I think I need not more than hint to the wise men who are gathered here to-day— many of them members of municipal and County Coun- cils — that the minor municipalities jealously guard and look upon their rights in connec- tion with the roads throughout the municipality. I think this should be borne in mind in connection with any scheme which is proposed in connection with the matter of our roads. I am not here to-day to give a personal opinion, but I might point out a general opinion. I have noticed that some gentlemen who opposed this meeting intimate that they may come, as a result of this meeting, to the Legislature for certain legislation to enable the proposed system, or change of system, to be carried out. I need not say to you that the successful man in bis own business is the man who carefully examines the situation all around ; he is not the man who jumps too fast at first and has to fall back perhaps further than be was when he started to jump, but the man who gradually makes progress is he who, when he moves forward, is sure of his ground and holds it, because he is moving wisely, judiciously, with good judgment, weighing all the circumstances and surroundings. I think that that principle means success as much in public organizations as in private. I need not tell you that you will carefully consider the law of the situation, and when yon ask for legislation it will be of such a wise and prudent character that you will have rea- sonable grounds for expecting the Legislature to grant it. I have seen Bills come into the Ontario Legislature from both sides of the House which, after being examined ten minutes by the members of a committee, were unanimously thrown out, because those who origi- nated the Bill had only looked at one side. In legislation, if it is asked, I hope you will bear this in mi ad, and I know you will. I need say nothing further, only tUis, on behalf of the Premier of the Province, who asked me to com<3 down — and I came on my own accord as well — on behalf of the whole Government of the Province I must express to you our appreciation of the efforts you have put forth in the past, many of you, in connection with good roads, and your efforts now at this meeting, and say that anything we can properly do in the interests of all the people of the Province to aid you in this work, we are prepared to do. I am glad to be with you this morning. You have a great work in hand, a work which if successfully carried out means much for the people of the Province, and I hope you will successfully engineer your work, and that the results will be such that if you come to the municipalities or to the Local Legislature your plans will commend themselves to the men who have charge of those bodies. (Applause). 1 28 MUNICIPAI GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. ADDRESS BY MR. A. W. CAMPBELL. rit III MR. A. W. CAMPBELL, on being introduced, said : — Mr. Chairman, it was not my intention to have taken up any of your time at this meeting. I think I have been in most of the Counties represented here to-day and have discussed this question of road improvement with them to such an extent that my ideas are well known, and the plans which I recommend for the improvement of these roads, and for a better administration and expenditure of the money which is being placed upon them. I came here more for the purpose of hearing a discussion of the question, and being interested to that extent, I have expressed a desire to have the meeting reported so fully that it would be possible for us in future to know exactly what is said by every member of this convention, how it has been said, and what effect it had on the question generally. I was delighted to see, delighted to know that the County Council of York had decid- ed to call a convention, in the first instance composed of their County Council and repre- sentatives from the Township Councils of the various townships in the County, and that they would extend the invitation to the Counties throughout the Province, who are in- terested in this question. And you cannot understand the amount of pleasure I have in seeing that so many in these Counties have responded to that invitation, indicating that there is a strong growing feeling throughout the Province of Ontario in favor of road improvement. More than that ; I am delighted with this convention because it is so representative. By this meeting to-day you have countenanded this movement in a manner which has raised it from the position of being a mere local movement, as we unfortunately find it in every township ; you have raised it to that of an important national work, connected, as an honorable Minister, has said, with one of the greatest problems which is to-day interesting the people of this country ; and the solution of which will undoubtedly bring to the farmers and the citizens, greater returns for the investment, than any other money spent upon any other public work in the country. After you have made your report and have decided upon the resolutions which you are going to adopt, these undoubtedly will be given prominence and publicity through the press, they will be read by the people from one end of the Province to the other, and will have a decided efifect in favor of the improvement of our roads, I go into every municipality where I am requested to go, and discuss the question with the people assembled, whether it be half a dozen or as many hundred. I am obliged therefore to hear, to discuss and refute the different arguments that are advanced by people who are interested in various ways with municipal offices as well as road improve- ment, and I find that the unfortunate part of the whole question is that it has been made so distinctly local. Each farmer has an idea that the condition of the road in front of his farm affects only himself, and he knows better bow to improve that piece of road than any other farmer in the district, than the Municipal Council, the County Council or any other body of men. For that. reason it is very difficult for any Township Council to lay down a plan on a large scale which will bring about the proper improvement of these roads, and secure a proper expenditure of money upon them. I was delighted yesterday in finding that our friend Mr. Wood, was here to give you a detailed history of road making in the County of Hastings. He is an old Township Councillor, who has had experience under the statute labor system in maintaining the roads of the Township. Becoming a County Councillor and knowing the injustice, the waste and the incompetency of the old method, he advocated a change of a very extensive kind. He saw that plan carried through a great deal of opposition to successful maturity. He saw the money spent und«r the new system, he saw the roads greatly improved, he saw that skill and experience, organization and the employment of competent machinery greatly reducec the cost of construction. And I was glad to find him here yesterday for the purpose of pointing out the merits of this new system, and telling you in so many words the improvement which has been worked in that County MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 29 I had tho pleasure of driving in May last with the Board of Works or Road Com- mittee of the County Council of Hastings over 115 miles of their road for the purpose of making an inspection and deciding what improvements should be done during the coming season. When other roads in other parts of the Province, especially the metropolitan bad roads of the County of York (Laughter) were axle deep in mud, these roads were as hard and as smooth as a billiard table, without a sign of a particle of modern dust, be- cause the dust was washed by the rain into the ditch ; roads that equalled the splendid roads found in England, in Germany, iu France, and other European countries, roads which would surprise as well as delight you if you were to go there and travel over them as I did. And not only this, but when you have looked into the expenditures which are being made upon your own bad roads, study carefully their condition and compare with this condition and cost of the good roads in Hastings. Then in all fairness you will have to confess, in your own minds, if not publicly, that the money for this iniquitous system prevailing throughout the Province has simply been taken out of the pockets of your tax payers by the cold machinery of taxation and buried in the mud by the cruel hand of in- experience and want of thought. (Applause.) What does it mean ? It means to-day from the returns of the various clerks of the municipalities, sent in to the Bureau of Industries here, that you are spending about i,- 100,000 days of statute labor annually upon the roads of the different counties. And ihe people say that the roads are being made and maintained by statute labor ; that they are in fairly good condition ; that they are serviceable. They tell us that these roads are being made by their own labor ; that they have days to spend upon the roads while they have no dollars to spe'^'^ upon them, and for that reason they are not in a position to abandon the statute labor, notwithstanding the fact that the most of our best farmers to- day are convinced that it is the most unjust, the most incompetent, extravagant and ineffi- cient system that could possibly be employed by any municipality in keeping up the roads. (Applause). You spend 1,100,000 days in keeping up these roads, and behind the screen of statute labor the people are led to believe that their roads are efficiently made and maintained by this system. But in addition to this every municipal council is obliged, in order to keep the roads in passable condition — not good condition — they are obliged to take out of the municipal treasury from $3,000 to $8,000, and, perhaps, ftio,ooo a year. Now this, in the whole Province, means about $3,500,000 per annum. (Hear, hear). In the past ten years you have spent, according to the reports of your clerks, in round figures, $30,500,000 in cash and 11, 000, 000 days of labor, or about $42,000,000. I do not profess to be any greater expart than many others pc-^sibly, who, if placed m my position, could do the work as well ; but I have had an pportunity of passing over the Province from end to end, from the Province of Quebec to the Detroit River, and from Lake Erie to Sault Ste. Marie, have studied the expenditure and mileage, the value of the material and cost of putting it down. Give me, and the authority to do it, the statute labor that you have spent in the last ten years and the other $30,000,000 of cash in addition, and I will undertake to gravel and macadamize in a first-class manner every rod of road in the Province, iucluding back concessions. (Applause). Going on in the same way for the next ten years, spend another forty-two millions or its equivalent under the present system, and following the very same methods, the roads will have improved little if any, and you will then have reached the aggreate of expendi- ture of in the neighborhood of ninety million dollars. That it is an important question cannot be gainsaid, and you are testifying to this when you think that this question is of sufficient importance to attract the attention and the consideration of the best citizens in this country. The expenditure is too great to be trifled with. It exceeds annually the expenditure of the Provincial Government for all the improvements they are making to- day upon pnblic institutions and for every class of work. Thus it must be an important work. And let me tell you it is of so much importance that I would like to see you meet this in a business-like way. Take the suggestion of the Honorable the Minister of Crown Lands and consider wisely how far you can go. I do not ask that you should be revolu- tionary ; I] do not believe it is wise. Whatever step you do take, make that step sure and certain, and see that you do advance to that extent. I do not believe— although I have to do it at times— in condemning the statute labor system. I am satisfied that no man can learn from my writings or from any of my addresses, that I attempt in any way to cast any reflection on the system. I believe that the statue labor law is as good a law as was ever written on the statute books. There was 1 30 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. a time when that system performed a work which I do not believe could have been done under any other system. It was a system framed for pioneer days. It did a noble work. Under it the settlers turned out, cut down the trees, burned the stumps, bridged the streams, and all this by their own faithful and united labor, without the assistance of a dollar of cash. They fought the forests on the farms, made homes for themselves, and kept their families. At that time they saw that the question of building roads was a duty imposed upon them ; they were necessary to the proper settlement of the country. Cer- tain outlets had to be made. They gathered together, selected a man of the very best judgement from amongst their number, to act as pathmaster. They all united under him by his instructions, carried out his orders, worked from morning till night ; and not only did they perform the few days' statute labor imposed against their holdings, but|these men turned out and voluntarily worked out of their own time in order to expedite this \vork. And all this was done within a very few years. But now, with the changed condi- tions established in the older part of the Province— wherever I go I F.ee those beautiful farms all cleared, with productive soil, splendidly finished houses or homes taking the place of the old log cabin, that are equal to the city mansions, dotting the Townships from one end of the Province to the other ; huge barns fitted up with stables almost as comfortable as the dwelling house, ventilated in the most efficient manner and all the modern improvements brought into actual practice. But in the face of all this improve- ment it does appear that you have clung to the old system of statute labor without trying to make it change to meet the new conditions, and to-day you have the same method as in the early days, with this difference, that in those days the people worked well by it, while to-day in the majority of instances the people wink at it and do nothing at all. (Applause.) In saying this, I do not say but what in every township you do find men in certain leading beats and certain townships, men who are progressive and work as faithfully on the roads as on their farms, who discharge that tax as faithfully as their municipal tax. They take a pride in having a good piece of road in their section, and they do voluntary labor, but I do claim that in the majority of the divisions the people contend that it is a mistake to work upon the road, because if they do their sections of road too well they will have no opportunity to go to the Township Council to beg for appropriations to spend up- on them. (Hear, hear). Money is spent in small amounts here and there, $3 in grading, $25 in ditching, $50 in cutting ; very small amounts comparatively, but when you aggre« gate those amounts at the end of the year it sums up to three, four, six, or ten thousand dol'irs. Certain repairs have to be made to bridges, that are necessary. Certain culverts have to be repaired ; that is necessary and that expenditure is warranted, and in this part- icular the expenditure is properly measured, but the whole system of scattering the money all over the road mileage in a township is the most wasteful system you could possibly have. When you come to sum up the aggregate in the years you find that nothing has been done. Councils knpw that the question of making and maintaining culverts is a serious one. You have hundred of these small sluices and culverts in every township. It is the duty of every Council to keep them in proper condition. When the country was new and timber was plentiful and could be found in the immediate vicinity, timber was the most economical material to use. But where you have to ship it from distant parts of the Province the freight rates and all expenses bring the cost of second quality up to about $12 to fti6 per thousand. This material is subject to rapid changes of wet and dry. It only lasts about six years or thereabouts. You may carry them possibly to ten or twelve years, but at the expiration of that time the cost of repairs is almost equal to re- newal. ThiF matter of renewing, too, seems to be passed from one Township Council to anf**^*^^! - i5- after year. .... • '» ^ou should place this on a business basis is an important matter and will . r ^ . ii- V that will save to the people of Ontario hundreds of thousands of dollars s. .',:•' if you only solve that question you will have performed a very great ovT ■♦ jeople. All cannot discuss the broader question without really going to sc -16 d.vf ,-1; ; this question of local management, local control and local expenditure, and I am simply doing it because we have heard the other question discussed in the highest places, and I have been left the very unpleasant duty of trying to discuss the practical side of the question. Now then, the system of statute labor I think is one which, if you are going to main- tain, let us reorganize it and put it on a better footing. Let us see that the tax of labor, sssssaati MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 31 instead of money against these lands, is collected as fairly as the tax for any other pur- pose. If six days is imposed against a farm, let us see that it is carried out. Why should one man, who is interested in an important public road, go out and work his time faithfully and honestly, and other men in other sections be permitted by the machinery of municipal Government to go scot free ? Let us hava it understood that if a labor tax is to be imposed, that a labor tax must be discharged as honestly as any other tax for improvement. Let us have that under proper management ; let us lay down a plan for doing the work. If you build a barn or stable, you sketch a plan and you see what the cost is going to be, and what materials you will require. This is followed in the build- ing of an ordinary pig- pen on the farm, costing possibly from ^75 to 8100, while over three million dollars in money and over three million days' in labor, is spent in the Province each year, without rule or reason, without planr of specifications, without any knowledge before hand of what the result will be. (Eiear, hear). Now, it is true, that the Township Council appoints in the average Township, about eighty pathmasters in the early part of the season. As soon as you appoint these men you know that they are the greatest executive officers in the Township. You know that they take no dictation from the Township Council, they are simply instructed to go out on their respective beats and expend the money and labor to the best advantage, doing the work as best they can. What is the result ? In every township you will find this that where eighty pathmasters are appointed you have about eighty different plans of road-making in that township. But road-making is a simple plan. One plan would do for the whole Province if it is a proper one. It could be drawn up here by this Conven- tion in a few minutes. But we find that one pathmaster believes in a narrow road, and makes it fifteen feet grade. The next man makes it twenty, and the next thirty and next forty. I have seen twelve different widths expressed on a road twenty miles long, and that road subjected to the same traffic, built on the same kind of soil, requiring the same treatment in every particular, and having to accommodate the very same classes of traffic. One man believes in a flat road. Another believes in crowning it just sufficiently to shed the water, and another man, vho wants to stand in with the boys, believes in heap- ing it up to such an extent that it is dangerous for you to turn from the centre to go past anyone. The next yrar one-quarter, or perhaps one-half, those pathmasters are set aside for various reasons. New men are appointed. Every time you change the pathmaster you change the system and methods. It is the constant change that is bringing about these various plans, and from this we find that it is simply a question of building up, tear- ing down, and building up again. If statute labor is to be continued, I think municipal Councils should lay down a plan. It is an easy matter to prepare a diagram of the township ; sketch the roads out and classify them. About one-third of the roads are main roads, subject to the traffic of the township largely. These roads must be built in a more substantial and more expen- sive manner, greater width and depth than the others ; classify them. There is another class, used only by the neighborhoods and leading to those main roads. The third class are back concessions, which don't require by any means the same treatment as the other roads. Specify the width, let the main roads be 24 feet in width, ths next roads 20 feet, and the concessions 18 feet. Then let us specify that the roads be graded uniformly, and stripped for a rise of one inch to a foot from the edge to the centre of the road. Let us have them graded so that they will be uniform, and specify how the grading and the levelling shall be done, how the stones and the gravel shall be prepared. Specify what shall be a load of gravel, a ct'bic yard or a yard and a half. Specify the number of loads that will constitute a days' work, and then issue the orders to the foreman and see that they are carried out accordingly. Increase the size of the "beats" to sections, as it is done in some townships, placing one pathmaster or commissioner in charge of each. Appoint this man by by-law and keep him in office, and make him as continous an officer as the Clerk or Treasurer. Men can be found with sufficient knowlet^^e or ability to do the work if you secure to them the position permanently. You will have a plan and they will be going on your authority as officers to carry it out, and you will lind that there is very little trouble in organizing on this basis. If this could be done, what a Godsend it would be to che roads and to the people over the township 1 Unfortunately in every municipality we find that possibly on«-half of the people are in sympathy with the work, are anxious for the improvement, and will sub- scribe to any such rules as you see fit to lay down and carry out. Councils are anxious ji I f 3« MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 111 to adopt tbesR rules, but possibly one-half tha people are careless and indifferent ; they see no good to result from the expenditure of a dollar on the road ; they think a dollar spent on the road is in the interests of the clan instead of themselves. But from studying it care- fully and closely, ^vithout in any way reflecting on the efforts expended in this direction, I have come to the conscientious conclusion that good roads will not result in the different nunicipalities in this country until statute labor is abolished or commuted, and the ex ' penditure from the Council made by a competent superintendent or overseer, (Applause). Fourteen townships have voted after the question had been thoroughly presented to them, to abolish statute labor, by a vote of almost two to one. The councils laid down these plans that have been specified, modern implements were secured lor doing the work cheaply and efficiently, the expenditure is made in the townships by, in some instances, one commissioner, and in others four commissioners. Driving through those townships to-day, one will be surprised at the improvement to the roads. In no instance would the public think of going back to the old system. Whenever I go into a township of that kind it is a delight and pleasure to see the work that is being done, and the thankfulness with which they greet me for having suggested the change. Would they go back to the old system ? By no means. They have commuted the statute labor at 35 cents a day, and the result has been that they have made more improvement than in the previous ten years under the old system. In some places the commutation is 50 cents per day, and in others 75 cents. The township councils, in the interest of the roads, ought to make the management easy and the administration fairly perfect, classifying the roads, so that they may be main- tained with equal justice and fairness to all the people throughout the constituency. Take it in the case of the County of York, for example. Many leading roads throughout the townships are used by people travelling from the most remote parts of the county. In this county we find that about one-third of the road mileage is composed of leading roads. Now, it must be evident that it is unjust and unfair to many of these municipal councils and the people in those townships, to have to keep up a system of roads to a proper de- gree of efficiency, for the accommodation of people travelling from those other townships. After studying this question closely, and after examining the details of the county sys- tem in Hastings ; examining the work on county roads generally, where county systems have been adopted ; in Hastings, where they build and maintain ; as in Huron, where they raised by one issue $400,000 and spent it on their county roads ; as in the County of Bruce, where with $300,000 they built their main roads ; this system seems to have worked with the greatest advantage. (Hear, hear). Unfortunately for the Counties of Huron and Bruce, the investment has not been made profitable by the fact that, after the roads were built, the county council handed them back to the township councils for maintenance. In this case, these main roads, splendidly built, built in a first-class manner, were allowed to stand there practically until they were ruined before a five-cent bit was laid out. In that instance the people have suf- fered a very heavy loss by raising this enormous sum of money and spending it without going further and adopting a plan of maintaining the road by not letting it get out of re- pair. We did follow that plan of trying to make roads of an extensive system of patch and repair rather than in the first instance building each a road properly and then repairing it. Now then, I contend that in every County there are trunk roads leading from every part of the County to the towns and the centre. They run from the County to the business centre. It may be the City of Toronto ; it may be the Town of Newmarket, but wherever the principal business place of that particular County lies, there will be leading County roads running into it. It is a false idea to think that these roads are to be made to carry the business tc any one place, and to build it up to the detriment of the others. Your Councils will see that these roads are laid down so that every Township ^will receive at least a fair mileage in accordance with their assessment. Now, then, I contend that in the interests of good roads, we won't have good leading roads, that are built and main- tained at the cheapest cost, and at the best degree of efficiency, until the main thorough- fares, the leading arteries, in every County are placed in the hands of the larger body, representing the larger section, which is your County Council. (Applause.) If you want to improve the roads in your own interests, and adopt the plan which will be most economical and most efficient, then I say take your plans and map out the leading roads, which will possibly consist of one road through each Township, possibly in this County 100 or 125 miles of leading roads. From whht I know of other Counties ^ MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 33 I I find the average would be about 150 miles to the County system. In York you have 1,500 miles of roads ; your County system would be of 150 miles or 80 of the main lead- ing arteries. 1 do not think anyone will oppose any scheme which they think will be fair and just, which will bring about the desired improvements in the least possible time and at the least possible expense. Some Councils have an idea that to grant a County system of roads the people would lose control of the last reins of power. It simply means that possibly one leading road in your Township would be taken over to comnrise the system. All the rest of the roads would be left under the Township control. If you look after what is left, it seems to me you will have ail that you can attend to, I do not think it is going to increase the expenditure. My experience is that the major part of the money spent annually out of the general fund is placed upon the leading roads in the Township. If no money would be spent on these leading roads, their condition would be impassable. Councils are obliged to spend money in addition to statute labor to keep these leading roads in repair. In York I will just look over the reports of your clerk. You have spent considerable here. The Townships have spent in ten years, i886 to 1896, 395,960 days of statute labor. In addition this County has spent on roads and bridges ^797, 346, or a little over three-quarters of a million. About f 100,000 of that was spent on bridges, leaving some- thing in the neighborhood of three-quarters of a million in cash spent in ten years on the improvement of the roads. I ask you, gentlemen, in all fairness to yourselves, how much have your roads improved in the county in the last ten years? (Laughter.) In King, in Whitchurch, in Gwillimbury, I have travelled over most of these townships, I do find that a great deal of improvement has taken place, and in the Township of York during the last couple of years, under a remodelled system and a more methodical management, * find that a great improvement has taken place. But, gentlemen, having travelled over, these roads you would not like to take this convention out over the leading roads in the vie- inity of Toronto and tell them that any attempt had ever been made to make any improve- ment in them. (Laughter.) The metropolitan county.metropolitan in every respect, I sup- pose the wealthiest county in the Province of Ontario.the most desirable county to live in the Province, rich in agriculture, in soil and in improvements of every kind ; metoprolitan in Its bad roads, because there are not such bad roads, I believe, in the whole Province of Ontario to-day except possibly some western counties, where they have no stone nor an ounce of gravel in the county to use on the roads, where, as Mr. Willson of Petrolia will tell you, they shipped material from Amherstburg ; in Welland and Haldimand and other countries ; having to ship material as I did for five years in all the work I did there, a distance of fifty miles by freight. Here with an abundance of material right alongside your roads, everything that is required and desirable for producing good roads— I say when the people ask me—" How about the roads in the County of York ?" I simply say, in fairness to you, " I do not knc^ anything about them." (Laughter and applause.) Now what of the advantages to result from this? Wherein can you benefit from a county system ? It is true that several county systems have been in operation, but what were their plans, what were their methods, and are they better than the old methods ? The plans in operation in the Townships of King and Whitchurch jire more productive of good roads than the plans which were adopted by the County Council when those roads were under their jurisdiction and the County Councils generally, but these faulty methods have simply led the people to believe that the county system is the same system as was followed by the counties in the olden days. We are going to improve these methods. Certainly this Convention has not met here today just for the purpose of proclaiming in favor of the methods of twenty-five years ago, and thinking that any improvement that might be suggested would be a reflection of the methods of former days. You are met to consider improvements in your methods to meet with the changing conditions, and surely it must be taken and accepted as gospel to say that any plan you would lay down to-day would be a vast improvement on any plan followed twenty-five years ago. If not, what do you come here for ? I venture to say that a plan which is laid down here to-day, or laid down by your County Council, will be simply towards collecting and concentrating the expenditure which is now being made upon the roads by the use of proper material, properly prepared and properly supplied, by following the true principles of road making, "and by the use of modern implements, with which the work can be cheaply, expeditiously and properly done. By collecting only the expenditure now being made upon these roads, and making a substantial and finished work, we can, in the next ten years, without an additional dollar's ■itaa^jfta^a 34 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. sxpcnditure, mak* every mile of that county roads system e^iial to the roads of any country in the world. (Applause). Figure it over ; find out what is being placed now, what money is being spent upon these roads, and then do as Hastings did. The County of Hastings upon its 400 mites of good roads first spent 9200,000 ; in this county yuu spend nearly 98o,ooo per year in the various municipalities. They have, by building these roads in a proper, finished way, reduced the cost of maintenance, reduced their expenditure on these roads, from 935,000 per year down to 9i2,ooo. Go over the roads and notice the condition for yourself. In the past tun years how dees it compare? In the past ten years, in which the most expenditure has been made on these roads, the roads of Essex cost 945 a mile; £lgin, 951; Lambton, 940; Middlesex, 951 : Oxford, $56; Perth, $47 Wentwortn, |6i ; York, 969.87 ; Hastings, 940. (Applause). How is this brought about ? It only requires that you should go with the committee over these roads and see their system. There are 400 miles of road ; the council ap- points their commissioner; he is an experienced man who has a wide knowledge of road making, an able man for this work. (Hear, hear). He takes the greatest interest in keeping the roads up, takes the greatest interest in seing that the water is being shed. Probably five cents spent this year will save five dollars next spring. He divides the road system up into four sections. He goes with the committee of the council in the spring ; they decide what grading, what stoning, and so on, is to be done this year. They come back and prepare the estimates fo- that work. He then divides the system. Men are employed under this superintendent. The council gives him direct instructions as to what he is to spend— twelve thousand, fifteen thousand — and what work is to be done is decided upon with his approval Then he places one foreman on each 100 mile beat. Each foreman employs the men that he needs, and they are picked up along the road. They are farmers who have time to do teaming when he requires it. All the money is spent in the county and along the road. These men are employed because they are just as capable of doing the work as men employed by a contractor in other sections. They take the stone crusher out and crush the number of cords or yards of stone required at that point. When ready to do the work, then these men are employed to haul the stone and put it down. They are paid so much per day for man and team, and the foreman sees that a day's work is specified and is lived up to. The result is simply this, that where the road has got flat this year, it is necessary of course to crown it to shed the water as quickly as possible. This year a long mileage of roads had flattened out by constant travel. In places of weak foundation the road had settled, and the sides were sometimes higher than the centre. They wanted to cut these sides off. They had their grading machinery there. They simply hired a traction engine from a thresher in the netghborhood at 92.50 per day. That was hitched up to the grader, and they went one mile at a stretch. I asked them how much of this old road they will shape perfectly and put into proper condi- tion in a day. The foreman told me that on an average three miles was a day's work. What did they do ? There are old roads that have received repeated ap- plications of gravel and stone to a depth of 15 inches, and sufficient material to meet its necessities. Here is the secret : — I do not care how much knowledge of road making a man possesses: unless he has not implements he cannot do good work. You ask a man to come out and take charge of your roads here under the old system, and I do not think he will be a particle better, and it is a question whether he can do as well as you are doing. If you improve your system, adopt business methods, and with it proper implements, then your work will be done in a proper way, and ten years will bring about a revolution in the condition of your roads without additional expendi-. ture. (Applause). In Hastings they rented a steam roller from the City of Belleville to put down the rough material on the road. Then at the last meeting of the council they decided that it should be the first duty to purchase a roller for their own work. Where the road is rougli on the surface, road picks are put in the roller and the surface is simply broken up ; then to this material, properly broken up, a light coating of new material is added, the picks are taken out and the material rolled down until it is hard and smooth as a floor. The sur- face is finished and is perfect. When it rains the water sheds off, and when we were ad- miring it it rained all night ; the roads had been a little dusty, but when we went out in the morning they were as clean as asphalt. MUmCIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. 3$ treak itre. ?h«y iay. 5ked mdi- fay's ap- leet road lork. \em, lean and 3ars idi- the U it lugh Ihen lare Bur- fad- Itio This is what yuu could do, and to think that expenditure is being made, especially on such an important trunk road as Yong* Street, as the Kingston Road or Lake Shore Road, or other main roads, without being done in that way ! The average county council does not feel justified in purchasing the necessary material, because the dirty gravel it has is often not the best. Mr. Wood says if you get clean gravel and roll that in, you have good material. But on these main trunk roads, subjected to the enormous travel as the leading roads coming to Toronto are, you will have to resort to broken stone, properly applied, and see that no ruts are allowed. These implements will in time be cheapened, but, after all, it is the most profitable investment you can make. Several townships said this year, " Let us cease making any expenditure on our roads, except filling up dangerons holes and fixing bridges, and so buy road machinery." The roads have not suffered in these townships a bit, but next year the improvement will commence. The county council can afford to purchase these outfits of machinery ; you will soon save it over these roads. You will simply collect the money that is now being spent on the main roads by the townships. You will spend more money than now, but the township councils will spend that much less, unless they want to spend this much in addition in improving their own roads. You then can employ one man, who will simply have charge and authority to direct the work. He is supposed to be inde- pendent, fully as independent as any other official, and above all those paltry influences which must affect you, as they affect every human being— and none of us can deny the fact that we are influenced at election times by the peculiar ideas and whims of the people. And if a man has stone to sell to-day, and you don't buy it, but buy from a neighbor, he is an enemy of yours. And as long as we are so closely in touch with the people, so long must we simply appear to please the ideas of the different electors ; so long will we simply carry out the system of disconcerted and disconnected action, and our efforts scattered in labor and money. (Hear, hear). I could go further to show certain other expenditures, but will not do so. Nor will I attempt to point out more advantages which will result from this work, but simply to say again that I am delighted with this meeting. I have never attended a meeting in connec- tion with the road movement that has given me more pleasure to attend than this one, and I am sure I never addressed a body of men— although I have addressed meetings of live or six hundred people — I have never addressed a meeting which has given me more pleas- ure than this body of representative men from all parts of Ontario. I hope and trust that your work will prove beneficial, and that you are in some way trying to solve many of the difficult problems in addition to those which may crop up. The suggestion was made last night that those municipalities requiring to undertake work on the regular plan should be permitted as under the drainage law, to borrow money upon the s-^curity of^ the Province at from two to three per cent. These counties are spending from $50,000 to $100,000 a year. If you think it would be advisable to raise this money, it would be opposed. You can go on under the old system and bury the money in the mud and dust and ruts all right. Give the council power to spend that money in a lump sum that will do some good. Regarding those municipalities which have no material at hand for making roads. The railway companies are anixous for good roads. It brings the business into the towns, and they thus see it is to their interest. I am satisfied than if the proper influence was brought to bear through the Government or some other influential corporation, that they would indicate to the municipalities that material would be hauled and raked off at the different road crossings at a rate that would surprise you with its cheapness. Then as to your method of securing some assistance from some other part. It would be wise for you to move as carefully as possible, adopting the suggestion made by the member of the Government here, and if that is done it almost looks, from what has been said here, that some offer will be put forth in assisting the different counties in building the im- proved roads. (Loud applause.) IJ If A 36 "^mm MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. I.! QUESTIONS BY DELEGATES. In answer to questions Mr. Campbell said in part : Concrete is stronger and more durable than the sewer pipe. If you would write to the Clerk of the Township of Pickering you would get some valuable information, Hastings is the only county in Ontario that has a complete system. In the American States, wherever it has been tried there, it is through the eounty council and the Superintendent. V Where gravel ot a good quality is plentiful and is used for making the roads, two grading machines and one heavy roller is all that is necessary. Where gravel is not plentiful or stone can be found at about the same cost, it is advisable to have a rock crusher, a couple of grading machines and a heavy roller ; that is the complete outfit. it 'if Hi MUNICIPAL OOOO ROADS CONVENTION. 37 JUDGE WOOD'S LETTER e to inty two not rock Chatham, nth December, 1899. John A. Ramsdkn, Ef v Secretary. Dear Sir ; I regret very much that I cannot go to your meeting to-morrow, as I so much want to do, but I will give you the substance of my views in a few words. I have long been the advocate of having good roads of a permanent charactet made under a voluntary system, such as is found in the drainage plan. In view of the fact that the necessary legislation for this has not been had, I would to-day say, let the Ontario Government take up the question and lead the municipalities to enter upon the work, the Government cootribut- tng one-third of the cost, the counties one-third, and the local municipalities one-third, with maintenance. Let a county borrow 9300,000 and make 150 miles of permanent road at |2,ooo a mile — a loan at 3 per cent would be 99,000 per annum. The assessable property of Kent is 925,000,000. At '12 a mill this would give $12,500, which would include a sink- ing fund, from which principal and interest would be paid off in 50 years, and which would not be more than 9i.oo on each 100 acre farm (which could be further reduced by assessment for benefit on adjourning farms) valued at 92,000, and include maintenance as well. Let the Province assume one-third of this and the cost to the municipality would be so much less, and would scarcely be felt. Mr. Campbell estimates that good roads can be made at 9i,8oo per mile, and that maintenance can be fixed at 920 per mile, which on the above basis would itself be equal to the maintenance for ten years. By all means urge the Government to enter upon this good work of good roads through the Province. Yours very truly, (Signed) R. S. WOODS. •1 1 ?! ■i I P.S. — I think the Government and its supporters have failed to appreciate the mak- ing of good permanent roads in Ontario. It has been wise in showing what scientific treatment will do in promoting agriculture, &c., as with the cheese industry, supplement- ed by cold storage, continental and ocean transportation, &c., but forgot the improved means of taking the milk to. and its product from, the factory by good roads. This road question is the one for the Government, and all hail to the administration that gives it will be the acclaim of the people of Ontario. R. S. W. i I 38 MUNICIPAL GOOD ROADS CONVENTION. COnniTTEE'S REPORT. The report of the Committe on Resolutions, as finally adopted, was as follows : To the Good Roads Convention assembled in the County Council Chamber, Toronto, December the 12th and 13th, 1899. The Committee on Resolutions beg leave to report as follows : With regard to the several matters referred to us for consideration your committee recommend as follows : (i) With reference to the resolutions moved respectively by Messrs. Pugsley and Reesor, and by Messrs. Richardson and Ley, favoring provincial aid for making and maintaining main leading highways assumed by county council as county road sys- tems, your committee endorses said resolutions and recommends the adoption of the same by your Convention in so far as the principle of provincial aid is concerned, and refers the plan in which it shall be laid before the Government to the committee herein* after provided for. (2) With regard to the resolution of Mr. Richardson, seconded by Mr. Reesor, favoring the assumption of main leading highways by County Councils, your committee are heartily in accord with, and fully endorse both the enacting clauses and preamble of said resolution. Your committee also recommend to the Convention the views set forth in a paper on Good Roads read by Mr. Beam, and in the letter of Judge Woods regarding county roads and Government aid thereto. (3) With reference to the motion of Mr. Miller and Mr. Duncan, of York Town- ship, regarding legislative supervision of electric railways, more especially with the view of enabling suburuan railways to have access to markets or other desirable points of destination, through cities or towns who have already granted franchises to other electric railway companies, your committee would recommend that the views embodied in said resolution be adopted by your Convention and handed to any committee that may be appointed by this Convention to be presented by them to the Legislature of the Province. (4) Your committee recommend that the proceedings, reports, papers, etc., of this Convention be compiled in namphlet form, and that the Secretary be instructed to wait on the Provincial Minister of Agriculture and endeavor to have them printed and distributed through the various municipalities in the Province. (5) Your committee recommend that a permanent committee composed of Messrs. Lundy, Richar^-on, Graham, Moyer, Beam, Pugsley, Buchanan and Ramsden be ap- pointed for the ^ rpose of laying before the Legislature the views of this Convention and forwarding the cause of good roads, and that the said committee shall make the mcessary arrangements for and convene another Convention of municipal representatives at such time and place as appears to them to be expedient and in the interests of the cause of good roads. (Sd) HAROLD EAGLE, Chairman of Committee. Adopted December 13, 1899. JOHN A. RAMSDEN, Secretary. CHAS. E. LUNDY, Chairman of Convention. f .:y>.'^-^-W' ':-■■:.. ."^v :cr>^.