The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-03-26
The Profit in Good Roads.

At public meeting at Abingdon re-
Gently. Professor Lewis NJ. Ilaupt, of the
University of Pennsylvania, told some of
the truths Of road construction: There Is
no tax so great as that of bad roads, is a
generally accepted maxim, he said, and 1t
is true. The horses have to be fed,
although they cannot be used. and the
average cost of keeping a horse is Sl25
per year, If the road surface be made
harder merely by metaliug it, then one
horse can do the work of two, and the
feed and interest on one is saved. 1t Is
estimated in England that the mere saving
in cost by reducing their roads to such a
condition. that three horses can do the
work of four. there has been effected an
economy of sl0n,0O0,0 900 annually. In
the State of Illinois, it is stated that the
cost of hauling farm products is at least
$4,000, 900 more than it would be it the
roads were improved, and that such i'm
proyement would add Sl60000, 900 to
the value of the farms. ! am well aware
that properties on mud roads cannot he
sold. while those on macadamized roads
have increased in value from $50 to 5000
per acre
..Will it pay? | have only to refer you
to the precedents of other countries for an
answer. If it will not, why do we find
England, France, Germany, Switzerland,
Norway, Sweden and many other civilized
countries building the best roads they can
in the face of difficulties which to us
would be appalling. The poor Swiss have
built roads through gorges and around
precipices which would seem impossible
and which must have cost over 81 ,0Od, 900
per mile.
What will roads cost The answer
must be guarded by the dimensions,
character of metal, soils. grades, drainage.
etc, but the prices for turnpkes range
from 81 900 to $4,000 per mile. Very
fair roads under favorable conditions have
been laid for $4,000, aud when a deep
buttoming and drainage are required it may
run up to $4,000, but should say, with
rolling topography, varied soil and fair
material they should not exceed $1,000.
1t is better, in my opinion, to build the
roads by general subscription than to
farm out the franchises to joint stock
companies. as in that case the condition Of
the roads is dependent upon the liberality
of the company. while the community
must pay enough in tolls to provide for
the maintenance of the road, and the in
ferest and dividends of the stockholders.
The system of working out the taxes by
ploughing up the cutters and throwing
the muck over ON the road should rather
be- called working in the tax as it makes
the road soft, and in short time the
rains and travel have washed the soil back
and clogged up the bitches 50 that no
permanent good result is obtained.
That you may perhaps better compre-
bend the importance Of the pFoblem, let
me define what road is Briefly, it is a
line of communication and the ideal is a
line of least resistance, level, straight, hard
and smooth as possible, that is, with due
regard to the traffic. This fact viii be
more fully appreciated when it is remem-
bered that to pull load of one ton on diff
ierent surfaces requires different powers,
as stated in the following figures