The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1913. A ROAD-MAKING BEE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 45, 23 October 1913, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1913. A ROAD-MAKING BEE.

Not lon si; ago Governor Major of Missouri and Governor Hodges of Kansas stalled iu person a two days’ campaign for “Pulling Missouri out of the Mud,” in which a volunteer army of 330,00!' men turned out to work on the improvemnt of the State roads—a roadmaking hoe. The fact is interesting to New Zealand local bodies, because it may yet prove a way out of the great straits most of them are in through lack of funds and the limi,l tation of their borrowing power.-.. In It he happy valley of the lower Missouri. says the New York Nation, j there is a man who is every inch a '• j Governor. Whenever he sees that any-( i tiling is needed, he issues a proclania-j !lion, puts on the pair of overalls which l I lie brought with him when he camel to the Kxecut'ive Mansion, and the [tiling is done before nightfall. As a boy he travelled over nothing but had roads and made up his mind that j d ever In' got a chance he would do I all he could for better highways. The; years came and went, with varying! fortunes for the growing bey, but al-l ways he was at I ended bv ( lie vision; splendid. Last November the Demo-! crais captured the State, and the man with the ambition to nidi Missouri out, of the mud became her chief. Thou-, sands of men wielding nicks and; shovels, other thousands steering road-' grading machines, still others hurrying from place to place with the mov-ing-pirn tire cameras, thousands of women killing, preparing, and frying tens of thousands of chickens, Imiehored to make a Gubernatorial holiday, him- i

di'ecls of thousands of days,’ work done doiween sunrise Wednesday and sun- i m'l Thursday, millions oi dollars’ worth e of improvement made in the same s fruitful period— altogether, it is doubt- 1 ful whether ever hetore in the world’s i history human energy accomplished unite so much in so brief a lime. Nor was there mere pretence of doing what (heir energetic Governor iiad set them to (Jo . Proceeding, the Nation concludes: “Tliis is the age of direct government. One day in the year we all turn out to celebrate our hide-, pendence. One day we vote. One. (lav our more advanced communities! spend in pulling up the weeds that!, have been permitted to grow, andj clearing off the rubbish that lias been) permitted to gather, during the pre-j ceding twelvemonth. And shall wej not take two days to make passable the roads that our neglect has ruined in the other 303:'”