Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-29
IMPROVE THE ROADS.
The Dispatch Expedition Warmly
Encouraged by an Able Writer.
NEGLECT THAT is CRIMINAL.
The Enormous Loss Sustained by the State
Through Mud-LOcked Highways.
HINTS FOR THE NEW ROAD COMMISSION
rwRIrTRN FOR THE prsplrcH.l

geStions by the Governors of MaSsachusett,
Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the Legis
latures of those States, advocating improve
State legislation on the question of publ
highways, as well as the subsequent &C
tion of some of these States in this matter
together with the active efforts for reform
advocated by certain enterprising represen
tatives of the press in these States and es
pecially the original method of presentin,
the subject as adopted by THE DISPATCH
seem to indicate that public thought is be
ing aroused to the necessity of some revision
of our present system of road maintenance,
and construction.
America is sadly behind all European
nations In the science of road building and
road legislation. England, Germany, and
notably France, possess highways ramifying
the entire country which would do credit tc
many an American city. Foreigners ex
press the greatest surprise, not more at oul
usual prodigality in expenditure than al
the indifference which we manifest in the
subject of good country roads, In ancient
States highwayt and media for transporta-
tion were reliable indices of a nations pro-
gressiveness. Rome in her palmiest DAYS
devoted her best energies and public reve-
Dues TO the construction of durable roads,
and even to-day in Peru are found road
ways constructed by the Incas hundreds of
years ago which surpassed in their constrnc-
tion anything which the present day can
produce.
THE ROADS A LIVE ISSUE.
Our energy has been so much absorbed
with the construction of railroads, water
ways and the like, that country roads, the
eapillaries which supply the main ar
teries of railroads, have been relegated to a
subordinate place. But the practical sense
of the present day is beginning to assert it.
self, and the attitude assumed by few pro-
gressive newspapers implies that there is a
slight aw akening to this species of neglect
which annually costs the State of Pennsyl-
vanis more than she expends for State i'm
provements.
The immensity of this waste and the false
policy which permits our roads to be so
neglected has been made the subject of con-
siderable study by political economists, and
all are loud in their calls Tor reform in our
system. Prof. r. T. Ely, one of Americas
most celebrated economists and an emf
nently practical writer, writes as follows
of the waste which is caused by poor high
ways:
"Our public roads which exist in the
United States are the poorest which exist in
any civilized country. The loss which this
entails upon the agricultural community
and the community at large is enormous.
1t requires more horse power to haul given
load given distance, and the waste result
ing from the wear and tear of wagons and
vehicles every year would amount to many
millions of dollars. 1t was estimated some
years ago that improved pavements in Ber-
lin would save owners OF horses, on an ave-
rage for each horse considerable over S25.
There are over 10, 000, 600 of horses in the
United States; and if to be quite within
bounds, we place the annual saving which
would result from first class roads through
out the country at $40 per horse, it would
amount TO over S1G0, 600, 900, which is the
interest on s., ,000, 000 900.
This is probably moderate. and the farm
ers will bear me out, 1 am confident, when 1
say that in this part of the United States at
least S15 per horse is very low estimate for
the annual saving which would result from
excellent roads. The saving of vehicles
must be added to horsefesh, and when it is
remembered that with good roads one horse
would often suffice where two are now
necessary, and always two where three are
now required, it will be admitted that $40
horse is not an extravagant estimate for the
country"
AN ENORMOUS LOSS TO FARMERS.
The above estimate is undoubtedly far too
low for the western half of Pennsylvania,
where the waste occasioned by poor roads is
aggravated by the mountainous character Of
the country.
In the tenth census an attempt was made |
to obtain some estimate of the cost of trans |
portation of grain from the farm to the rail- |
road, and the results varied from 20 cents to |
81 for hauling 100 bushels one mile, and |
the report on the subject stated that it was |
impossible for wheat to be grown at distance |
of 20 miles from the railroad, as the cost of |
transportation would consume all the profits. |
What loss is thus inflicted upon all the
outlying country not having railroad facili-
ties! Ii this is true in the carriage of wheat
how much more so is it true of those prod
nets of greater bulk and more perishable
nature. A New York writer recently writ
ing on this subject has computed that |
team on any kind of permanent road, such
as should be constructed in PENNSYLVANIA,
could draw four times as much as on our
present dirt roads in good condition. Com
pute what gain this would all be to the
community, and when we consider that the
ordinary Pennsylvania road, as it now is,
Is not always in good condition, that from
September to May, or seven months in the
year, ordinary roads are either entirely i'm
passable or practically so, we begin to see
the urgent necessity of reform in our system
of road construction.
Why are those farms located near the
city SO much more valuable than others,
and why do farmers yearly abandon good
farms to take up their abode in the cities !?
We need not look beyond our roads for an
adequate cause. 1t must be a patent fact
that agricultural lands near to a city are
largely valuable because of ease of trans
portation of their farm products
Improve these means of transportation,
either by macadamizing them or by SUBJ
stantial and scientific dirt roads, and YOU
will accomplish the same result as if the
market were brought thai much nearer to
the farmer. You will thus increase the
value Of all lands and all farm products.
HOW TO ENHANCE VALUES.
Basing an estimate upon the divergence
in the value of lands accessible to a good
market and those less advantageously situ-
ated, it is not improbable that all the ayri-
cultural land in Pennsylvania would be en-
hanced in value from five to ten dollars per
acre if good highways were built. On the
low estimate OF five dollars per acre, the
land alone, which amounts to 28, ,990, 600
acres would be increased in value S133, $780,
600; and when we add to the economy of horse
flesh, wear and tear of harness and vehicles,
time, etc., we have credit account which |
speaks volumes for some improved system
of highways.
But the material welfare of the people
should not more concern the legislator than
the moral and intellectual improvement,
and good roads would unquestionably do
much to make residents of the country en-
Joy many of the influences of city life which
are now denied them. Were it easier to
traverse the distance, farmers living within
D radius of five to ten miles from the citv |