Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-05
OUR COUNTRY ROADS.
How Bad Thoroughfares Handicap
the Keystone Farmers.
THE COST OF HAULING PRODUCE
Eating Up the Profits in Districts Wher'
Roads Are Neglected.
HARD NUTS FOR CHANGERS TO CRACK

In an address delivered before the State
Board of Agriculture at its recent annual
meeting in Harrisburg, Henry W. Kratz
of Schwenksville, made a powerful argu-
ment upon the advantages which both town
and country derive from good suburban
roads:
"The rise in values Of land in those por-
tions of Montgomery and Delaware counties
lying near to the city of Philadelphia, -
said he, sis to a large extent due to the con-
struction of good roads, which have greatly
enlarged the territory suitable for suburban
residences. Millions of dollars have thus
been added to the wealth of those counties.
from eight to ten miles from any town or
railroad, whose value is at minimum, not
because of any lack of fertility, good build
ing or any other thing which makes farm
inherently valuable, but simply because of
their inaccessibility through the poor roads.
| If located near a good road those farms
would at once become more valuable. One
| might as well live on an island as on farm
| that is practically cut off from town, railroad
| and postofice by bad roads during at least
four months in the year.
AS IMPORTANT AS RAILWAYS.
at is sometimes argued that the enormous
expansion of our railway system has led to q
| corresponding neglect of our ordinary roads:
that we are no longer dependent on wagons
and horses for the transportation OF freight
and passengers from city to city. This as
sertion furnishes no good reason for neglect
| OF roads, for it is an indisputable fact that
SO per cent of the freight that is transported
by rail or water has to be hauled over a road
or street to the railroad station, and the
same is true of the freight after it reaches its
destination. ALI our trade organizations in
natural products must find their way over
highway before they can reach market and
obtain their value; and. therefore, good
roads at all seasons of the year are neces-
sity for the greater prosperity of town and
country. And I can see no reason why the
common road system should not in some
degree, at least receive the same kind of at
tention and concern which the development
and improvement of the railway and steam
ship systems have received The saving
and cost of transportation which good road
makes over poor one is much greater than
most people suppose, and the cost often de-
termines the question of profit or loss.
COST OF HAULING On ROADS,
tin the census of 1880 an attempt was
made to get fair estimate Of the average
cost of hauling grain from the farm to the
railroad station. The estimates returned
varied greatly. from 80 cents to So for haul
ing 100 bushels one mile. But it appeared
that the average cost of hauling 100 bushels
one mile was 80 cents at least. In most of
the Western wheat regions it was stated
that If wheat has to be hauled more than 18
or 20 miles to reach a railroad or water this
land carriage, in ordinary years, eats up the
profits of culture. According to the esti
mates received, it costs the ordinary farmer
more to carry each bushel of wheat mile
than it does the ordinary railroad to carry a
ton.
"When one thinks OF the hundreds of
millions of bushels of wheat grown in this
country, practically all of which, except
that saved for seed, has to be transported
over country roads distance of several
miles on the average, and then when one
adds to that the more than 1000, 900, 900
bushels of other grains produced annually.
large proportion of which is transported
over these same bad roads, the importance
of good highways, and the gain arising from
building them, becomes manifest. The
farmer should reflect that the gain would
ACTUAL LOSS BY POOR ROAD.
''This matter of hauling at a heavy e1.
pense has melted great deal of attention
in the Western States, and some interesting
estimates have been made by experts in Illi-
nois-a State whose topography is generally
level, and would, therefore, seem to be
favorable to good roads. These experts cal
culated that for two-thirds of the year not
hall ho ho,,1 1aI of L.,
in the best season is considered good load
This means that q horse whose earnings
would be $3.50 year on good roads can
earn only $100 on poor roads. Prof. Ely
has estimated that poor roads cost the
farmer on an average at least S15 per horse
year.
"Clemens Hershel, Boston engineer, in |
comparing American with English roads, |
says: The English horse employed in the |
streets of an English city, or on the roads of |
the country, does twice as much work as the |
American horse similarly employed in |
America. The simple explanation is, that |
the Englishman has invested in perfect and |
permanent roads what the American ex-
pends in perishable horses that require to
be fed In 'Gilmore's Practical Treatise
on Roads, Streets and Improvements the
following table, resulting from trials made
with dynamometer attached to q wagon
moving at slow pace upon level, is given
to show the force of traction in pounds upon
several different kinds of road surface in fair
condition, the weight of wagon and load
being one ton Of 9, 240 pounds:
Pounds.
On telford road. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 46
On road covered with six inches of broken
stones laid on concrete foundations IS |
On road made with thick coating of gravel
laid on earth from 40 0to.........,.I47 to.
On common earth road. oad............,.,...2O0 200
"This shows that it requires three times
as much force to pull n load over q common
road as one macadamized, and more
than four times as much power as on a tel
ford, or one of broken stone on concrete
foundation.
PEOPLE MUST BE EDUCATED.
"When it is remembered that through the
greater part of the year the country roads
are in poor condition some idea NAV be
gained OF the Immense loss in horse power
which they cause to the farmer. 1t is plain,
that when the roads are so i'm.
proved that farmer can getover Is miles of
good road with no more trouble and expendi-
ture OF horse power than is required over
ZEN miles of bad road, that five miles have
been added to the territory tributary to
.he city's market and that the advantage is.
therefore, mutual between town and coun.
Try. But in the face of these facts it seems
hat the solution of this question must in a
great measure be solved by long and con-
itant agitation and labored effort to show by I
demonstration that good roads
ire advantageous and economical This /
method of molding and educating public
opinion to such needed reform seems incon-
Iistent and reprehepsible But as 1ono az