The Press., 1892-01-21

does not soften them. There are no sloughs to wade through, no periods when the factory and the farm are cut off from the rest of the world by an impossible sea of mud. The loss in break downs of vehicles, of breakage in harness, in time of labor, increased food, shortened life and injuries to horses by bad roads in the United States would amount to an inn mense sum of money If statistics could be gathered and formulated. Railroads, tal- I so, are directly interested in good country roads. Whatever opens up the remote farm lot for easy hauling to the railroad l station, or brings an additional acre of l arable land nearer to the city, cheapens the market for the poorest and increases thssolume of trade and commerce for alI. The French oads have compelled the respect and Admiration of foreigners for . century, and of all the roads in the coun- try those considered the most excellent and at the same time the most difficult of maintenance happen to lie In the most rugged of the Alps, with their peaks for ever snowclad and rising to height of Il ,000 feet. These Alpine roads are nu- 1 merous, of easy grade, solidly built, al- ways open, and always good save when temporarily blocked with snow. They l are subjected to the most changeful and l violent forces of nature. Snow, frost, ice and furious glacial torrents springing sud- denly into existence at unexpected points have sought for decade to destroy them, but in vain. The greader part of the roads in France are macadamized; it is .only in towns that paving stones are used. ! A serious objection-to the use of the lat ter in cities lies in the ready weapons which they afford in the hands of mobs during periods of riot. < No part of the road system is neglect ed; the routes are divided into sections of half mile to three miles in length, ac- cording to the importance of the road, each of which Is conflded to a man or l number of men, so that every foot of the roadway is inspected daily and is kept in thorough repair. ,n In respect to construction the German road making is identical with that of France and Switzerland. Every import ant road issa graded macadamized turn pike, with cnfverts of massive stone, ditches on either side, and generally lined with trees, either poplar, sycamore or linden. The general principle which ob- Itained in saxony formerly was that the Iobiigation of kss;..ss up the roads de- pended oh rli5' Ievying of toll and safe- gunsu uuty on them This species of toll l was 50 called because in former times trayalers passIne over insecure roads leading through forests or thIniy settled districts were escorted by armed knights, who levied this safeguard duty in return for their services.
 1 Russian highways are, as rule, badly built, and continually in process of mend ing. When Alexander Dumas returned from Russia, which he had been visiting, he was asked how he liked the roads fin that country. He replied: "I never say l any. In winter they were covered with snow and in summer they were always l being repaired"
 In no country in the world is the con- struceion of loadwayse carried out with more scientific skill and thoroughness than in Switzerland. The mountainous nature of the country, the consequent difficulty of providing means of easy com munication between points, and the severe tests to which roads are subjected by the violence of storms and the sudden swell ing of water courses, have from the earli- est period rendered the subject of road building one of primary importance to the Jewellers in the! Alps.
 One of the greatest charms of English scenery to the American visitor is the beauty of it's ge-lined, stone-bedded roads. Much of England's scenery would be nothing without them. The country roads in Ireland suffer materially from comparisons with the roads in England and Wales, but as compared with the av craze country road in the United States they seem to approximate closely to per lection. The course described by thu country roads in Ireland is most irregular and even tortuous, the apparent purpose being to avoid the points of the compass but they are none the less beautiful or that account.
 In South America there are hardly an, roads worthy of the name. Communities tion between towns where there are ns railways to the interior is by wateS il small boats Or canoes, or by bridle pathl
 Sn donkeys, mules or horseback. To,gt in a carriage of any description five, ten
 twenty, forty, or any number of miles T few or many, into the interior, is a thinl
 unheard of and unknown. In Brazi thirty days are often required for travel I ing distance of 250 miles.
 l The subject of scientific road building in Japan Is one that has only of recen
 years received attention, Previous to tn
 opening of the country to foreign inter
 course nearly all of the Inland travel an
 carrying was confined to othe back of cool
 ies and pack horses, and, in spite of tn
 introduction of railways and iinrikishas
 such is, to avery great extent, still tn
 case.
 In Fiji there are no roads that, desery
 the name. Each magisterial district
 at present making dirt road by cuttin
 two parallel ditches and throwing tn dirt from them between the two, more [ Eernplov prison labor thafi to build road
 Flor traffic or pleasure. The main street : of the cities are made Of broken cor, , washed up by the sea, which is q yer good material for the purpose, but nc
 very lasting. The trafic of the, isiandsi
 all done by water consequently road e are not required. e ...-.5 -.