The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1891-03-06

miles of shore-line and a net work of comm,
roads footing up over 400 miles,
Thus for each square mile you have abo
Oh miles of railway, 02 miles of waterwt
and 0.S miles of roadway, to say nothing
the numerous by-ways, which 1 have
means of estimating.
The population of the county by the la
census was 28,993, or 600 per square mile, a
most one person to each acre.
The assessed value is $13,000000, $42 pt
acre, or $27,0S3 per square mile, and the raj
of tax 80 C ents on each 800, which woul
| give revenue of $4,000, not a very lare
amount, il is true, yet sufficient to keep in n
pair 900 miles of well built roads, or nearl
three times the estimated mileage of the coun
lily.
|, Your good fortune lies in the fact that th
county has so extensive water frontage
which can be made Of great value since it put
you into communication with the rest of tn
world by the cheapest known mode of COZ
veyance..i a'@ s-4>. asEt . safsi
That you may fully appreciate this, let u
look at the figures which measure the cost O
movement by the various system of trans
portation. '' Vt
Taking the ton-mile as the unit we fine
that under the best conditions the rate By
wagon on common roads is now t1890,) abon
10 cents; by cars, on standard gauge rail
road, it is about one-half cent; BY boats, on
a canal of about feet depth, about one-third
OF cent; on ships, navigating rivers or lakes
and having draught of Is feet, about
one-quarter OF cent, and by ships on the
ocean only about one-eighth of a cent.
These flnnrQo mo w ha toll
the cost of, overcoming the resistances 10
movement and show at once the great supe-
rlority of the deep draught waterways, as well
as OF all waterways, over land iransporta-
ton, and the immense importance of ship
ping by water where it is practicable. More
over 1t is urged that the farther inland the
point OF trans-shipment is placed, the better,
since the freight will be saved so much mile
age by rail.
Thus for, over century Philadelphia held
the commercial supremacy of this country,
but on the completion of the waterway to the
great lakes, in 1926, it yielded to New York.
Baltimore is also an instance of the rapid
growth of a city, based upon commerce. and
yet she is farther from the sea than Philadel-
pha.
THE ECONOMY OF GOOD ROADS.
With suitable improvements, Havre de
Grace could be made an important ship
ping point for domestic and foreign markets,
and great impetus could be given the varied
Industries and resources OF this county. You
are accessible by water from the principal
wheat market of the eastern seaboard, and
should therefore be able to compete success.
fully with the less fortunate districts having
no water communications, but, if you can
ievelop home market, for your products at
paying rates, you may thus save large part
Of the cost of transportation. commissions,
storage and waste on perishable freights.-
This gives rise to the question as to how
'uch home consumption may be secured, and
although am not very familiar with the re-
ources CT this section of Maryland, believe
rom my general knowledge of the topogra-
'hy that there should be sufficient water
bower available to operate number of mills,
IT, that failing, that coal could be delivered
long the canal at prices low enough to en-
ourage large manufacturing population,
nd thus by increasing the number of
consumers local demand would be Gre
ted for agricultural products and the cost
1 manufactured articles would also be re-
uced to the residents of the county.
To bring these elements into close relation
hip and still further reduce the cost of both,
here should be system of hard and smooth
lrfaced roads ofcash gradients, traversing the
nunty, which could be travell ed at all sea-
)ns of the year. This would maintain great
r uniformity in prices and larger profits, as
he waste and wear for carriage would be
SO. Such an increase of population must
ome through immigration, and for this pur-
Ose special inducements should be offered to
manufacturers TO establish plants along The
alter courses.
He COMMERCIAL ADVANTAGES OF HAvRE DE |
GRACE.
The economy of reducing the resistance is |
i'll further shown by the following extracts.
he first is from Poor's Manual for 1889, and
ads as follows:
"Over ordinary earth roads wheat will bear
a axe. Indian corn wifi Bear transporia-
On only 1876 miles when its value is rs cents
,r bushel. When grown at greater distances
ON market, these products, without rail-
ads, have no commercial or exportable
llue. The railroads, by transporting at one
7entieth the cost over earth roads, will give
marketable value to wheat grown 5000
lies inland and to Indian corn grown $500
lies inland"
The actual limits are, however, much less
an the distances mentioned in the foregoing
tract, since portion of the value is con-
med in the cost of production, and it is
erely the difference between this cost and
e market value which would determine the
nit of the market range. By converting
RIM products into others of greater value,
which cost less for transportation, profit
ay be realized where otherwise there would
lily be loss as, for example, when hay is
inverted into beef or dairy products, but it
ill often be difficult matter to determine
hen such transmission will pay, and if all
rmers were to resort to it the result would
glut of similar products; which would
wer the price below profitable limit. The
st solution of this question is, undoubtedly,
reduce the cost OF movement by improving
e roads and thus enable all kinds of pro-
Ice to be delivered at the stations in every
nd of weather.
The other extracts which have to submit,
to the economy of good roads, are from
e report of the Committee on Roads of the
ngineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania,
follows:
GA contractor who could have hauled
irty-five tons of hay seven miles in three
.ys, at a cost of $50, on macadam road,
und that on the mud roads of Philadelphia
unity, it actually took him two weeks, cost
700, and nearly killed his horses. Instead,
erefore, of costing him twenty cents per
n-mile, the actual cost was eighty-two
nts, being tax of sixty-two cents per ton
II mile, to say nothing of the injury to the
ad, wagon, harness and team.
The writer remarks that the cost of move
ent for this short distance "was more than
e product was worth, and put stop to the
lsiness." This instance exemplifies
,neral law in regard to increasing facilities
transportation by reducing the resistance
I'd cost.
The same committee estimates the economy
good roads as follows: In Pennsylvania,
e estimated number of horses, January,
S8, was 94,297, and the average price was
05.46. The average life was twelve years,
I'd if, by better roads, but one more year
ere added to his life, it would effect a say
e of $49, 776.S7; Tor, otherwise, the value of
e horses being $9,955, 374. the legal interest
this sum for one year is $597 1922 A, and
of this principal, or $500 ,614.63,
the annual LOSE. Prolonging his life one
EAR would save the interest on this amount,
$49,776S7) A similar computation for
e saving upon mules, putting their life at /
years, gives $3,391.A. The interest ons
lis total, amounts to $4,000, which, added
the principal, gives a total of $5635S40
The census of 1880 gave the farm products
Pennsylvania as 6,50Qe00 tons, half of
bich is consumed on the farms, the balance
hauled an average Of five miles to market.
that q two-horse team makes two