The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-03-27

in America:
''Ihe point which I wish to impress
upon my American reader is simply this:
that tho English horse, employed in the
streets OF a city or on the roads Of the
country, does twice as much work as the
American horse similarly employed in
America. This is the patent, undcniable
fact. No man can fail 20 see Il who has
his eyes about him. How does he do IT.
Why does be do it? These arc most inn
poftant questions 70 an American. Is
the English horse better than the Ameri-
can horse; Not at ALL she overworked?
| have seen no evidence that ne is. /
have seen but one lame horse in London
The simple explanation is that the Eng
lishman has invested in perfect and per
manent roads what the American cx-
ponds in perishable horses that require
70 be fed.
eve are using today in the little town
Of Springfield just twice as many horses
as would be necessary to do its business
IL the roads all over the town were as
good as Main street is from Ferry to Cen
trail. We are supporting hundreds OF
horses TO drag loads through holes that
ought TO be filled, over sand that should
be hardened, through mud that ought
not to be permitted to exist. We have
the misery Of bad roads and are actually
or practically called upon TO pay pre-
MUM for them. It would be demon
strably cheaper to have good roads than
poor ones. 1t is so here. A road well
built is easily kept in repair. A mile of
good macadamized road is more easily
supported than poor horse
The expense Of building good roads is
an important item, and the macadam is
too expensive for country byways and
crossroads, and, in fact, is only feasible
where travel is extensive. Macadam 30
feet wide and Q inches thick in the CEN
ter requires $500 tons Of broken stone TO
the mile. The cost Of stone varies from
20 cents 10 s. a ton, and this would bring
the cost Of surface material up to $3.50
to Sl1 900 mile. A macadam road has
recently been made near Philadelphia
al an average Of about $1,000 a mile for
six miles, but there was a good founda-
ton to work on. At Bridgeport Conn.
forty miles Of good macadam, is to 20
feet wide, including grading, cost a tribe
under 50, 600 "a mile.
The committee on improvement Of
I highways, Rhode Island division of the
League of American Wheelmen, recently
received two important letters upon the
subject Of good and bad roads which are
of general interest Ex-Governor Henry
Howard, of Rhode Island, says:
81 am very glad to learn that there is
some prospect Of legislation in regard to
our faulty highway system. When / re-
turned from my first and prolonged visit
to Europe / could scarcely believe that !
had all my life been familiar with such
roads as met my eye on my return. In
no part Of my travels had l seen roads so
poor as is the rule in our country towns;
and l had been in some out of the way
places, too. We are more wasteful in
this respect than in all other things put
together. Comparing the rural sections
Of Europe with those Of our country,
there IS 10 doubt, think, but that horse
there performs double the duty he does
here, and therefore is worth twice as
much. 1t would be tho highest economy
to put all our roads in a permanently
good condition. When it is once done
the annual expense is as nothing to the
money which is expended now without
any beneficial results. There is no class
to which highways are so advantageous
as to farmers. If they could be induced
to give the subject sufficient consideration
they would soon put stop TO this eyre
gious folly Of working out the tax.
The president OF the Rhode Island Do
nestle Industry society writes;
LAS TO the matter Of highway inn
provements, / think it is Of the greatest
Importance to ii, prosperity Of our ag-
ricultural communities that some change
should be made in their care.
"At present in some parts Of our state
there is a gradual shrinkage i'm the value
Of our farming property, owing. IN my
OpiniOn. TO the want Of better highway
communication.
in my own town, Scituate, we have
about seventy-twO miles Of highway
divided into about sixty road districts,
and i'm some of these districts, fear, the
road taxes have been expended on the
working ont or standing out plan Last
spring. at our annual town meeting. IL
was decided to make a change by ap-
pointing road commissioners, the num-
Der not to exceed three. This change
takes effect this coming spring, and ]
.ope that suitable road machinery may
be supplied them, so that our road taxes
NAV be used TO better advantage. As to
the present condition Of The roads in our
state there can be but one opinion-they
need to be improved; as to how IL should
be- done have no plans. IL might be
well for the legislature 20 appoint com
mittee to take the matter into considera-
lion and recommend some law that
should be applicable throughout the
state