The Sun.
London, England, 1819-09-21 00:00:00

TURNPIKE ROADS.

From the great attention of the Committee of
the !loose of Commons, appointed in the last
Sessions of Parliament, to ing.iire into the state
of the —Highways and Public Roads, to the na-
tional subject submitted to their consideration, it
is lo be expected that the Committee will be revived
early in the next Session, and that they will be
enlided, before the close of it, to recommend to
the Legislature ONE GP NERAt. ACT, for the ma-
lidgement of the public Roads throughout the king-
dom. The suggestions contained in their last Re-
vort are such as ought to be adopted ; for until
there is a general superintendence lodged in
proper hands, with authority to regulate and
eontroul the conduct of the different Trust's,

we must never expect the Turnpike Roads

to be much improved. By the adoption of
this plan, and by throwing all the Toils into one
fund, the existing ereckors of the different Roads
trill be enabled to obtain their money 'and inte-
rest—the Roads will be improved-and the Tolls
will be lessened. At present, in many of the 'crusts
there are gross jobs. and a great deal of favour-
itism in their contracts and management. In fu-
lure, clauses should be introduced into Road Bills,
lii case a general arrangement does not take
-place, directing, that all Contracts for, or in
respect of Turnpike Roads, should be made by
public tender—the accounts of each trust annually
printed—and copies thereof presented to both
!louses of Parliament, by which means the'Legis-
'attire will ascertaii)correctly the Money annually
raised by this species of indirect taxation.
trident to Travellers, that the Roads in remote
districts, or in districts where there is little
traffic, can never be materially improved, without
either the aid of Parliament, or assistance from
the other more productive Trusts ; and therefore
.some ge►►eral arrangement should be n►ade to
produce that result. 'cu the great Roads leading
to the several Naval Arsenals of the Kingdom, the
attention of the Government should NOW be
given ; fur it is only in the time of Peace, that
works of this nature can be attended to with ef-
fect. Large sums are frequently voted by Par-
liament to improve the Roads from the Metropolis
to Holyhead, and the great Roads in Scotland; but,
surely a Parliamentarygraut could not he voted with
snore propriety, or for a more important national
Purpose, than for the improvement of the Roads
from London to Portsmouth, Plymouth, Yar-
mouth, and Dover, especially as the money re-
quired would fall far short of any of the Grants
alluded to. These are the four great Roads in
time of war for the conveyance of troops and
military stores; and to shorten the distance and
the time of communication between the seat o
Government and these places, is an object desert.

It is

ing the Public attention and support, and which, in
:the end, will be a great saving to the country.. To
Point out the means to achieve this object, is not
becessary, or by whom the work is to be perform-
ed, as the same must be obvious to every one ;
though indeed, in time of peace, the subalterns
privates of the corps of Artillery and Engi-
neers could not be better employed than in the
"Perinteudence and management of public works
of this dem iption, and in the improvement of the
Ports and Havens throughout the Kingdom.—
Before the Revolution in a Neighbouring State,
their corps of Artillery and Engineers were em-
Ployed in works of this nAture, which proved not
Only beneficial to the King's service but to the
We have merely thrown out these hints
for the consideration of our Readers, and we will