The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-09-28
VOL. XXIV.-NO. ~.


me SlN aulaCeuJ CdnIOuuleTS loIu d
squad called brigade, which is under ;
foreman known as a cdHtoRRier- -chef, anC
forms the unit of working force. Severa
brigades are placed under the charge of &
coRducte'r, or superintendent, who has
charge of section of 40 or 80 miles of road
for the good order of which he is response
Bile, and every part of which he must in
spect and report upon twice a month
Several sections are placed under an engi-
neer, who has charge of all the roads in an
aTTondissemeat, or township, and must in
spect every part of them once in three
months Finally, the engiueer-in-chief has
charge of all the roads in the department
or province, eighty-seven of which consti-
tute the territory of France
During the winter, when the repairs are
heavy, and whenever general re-surfacing
of the road is undertaken, the regular can
tonniers are assisted by auxiliary labor
hired for the time being. The broken stone
required for such work is furnished by
contract.
1t should be borne in mind that this is
not mere paper organization, or code of
forgotten statutes, but an actual working
system in full operation to-day. 1t is the
result of l20 years Of thought and labor
devoted to an important subject by some
of the best minds of France, aud the result
Is the most superb system of roads to be
found anywhere in the world The cost is
surprisingly small, considering what is ae-
complished The actual cost per mile of
maintaining the national roads Call maead-
amized) Is given in Debauve's Manual for
each of the eighty-seve departments 1t
varies from 500 to $500 per mile, with an
average of $3.50, Of which about half is for
labor aud half for materials For main
tanning less important roads the average
cost per mile is as follows: Departmental
roads, Sl35; important local roads, S92;
ordinary local roads, s57; by-roads, S42
IL would seem as if somewhat analogous
system might be devised in America, by
which the roads in each State might be
placed in charge of the State engineer, the
repairs in each county to be made by the
county survey, or according to the instruc-
tions of the State Engineer, uniform road
tax of say FIVE mills TO be levied throughout
the State, but the amount Of taxes raised in
each county 10 be expended in that county.
With an estimated valuation in the State
Of New York Of 81, ,200, ,000, 600 exclusive
Of city property for the census of 1890,
such tax would yield s6,000,0 900 per
annum for the roads Of the entire State;
and this sum jndiciously expended, accord
ing to well-digested plans aud under COIL
petcnt supervision, would in few years
rebuild nearly all our important roads and
maintain them in good order. The present
system Of independent action or inaetion by
each board Of County Commissioners is
known to be complete failure. What it
costs for the entire State eannot be stated,
for there are no statistics on the subject.
Possibly, IT the statistics were available, IL
would b. found that the total cost Is fully
a great as the sum above stated, although
the result Is almost nothing. As for toll
roads, and compulsory labor or tax in
lieu thereof, they are both out Of date at
the end Of the nineteenth century.
In brief, then, the only system for good
country roads, as shown by universal ex
perience. Is a bed Of stone, broken into
small angular fragments aud thoroughly
rolled, and maintained in good order by a
small force Of laborcFs. under proper organ /
ization aud supervision, constantly at work
summer and winter in cleaning off the road
and repairing any defects the moment they
appear; to which must be added from time
TO time, according TO the amount Of traffic /
and resulting wear, a general renewal Of
the road surface with the same materials. /