Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1892-06-16
ECONOMY OF GOOD ROADS.
Interesting Figures On the Saving Road
improvement would Make.

Interesting Figures On the Saving Road
Improvement Would Make.
At public meeting at Abingdon re-
Gently Professor Lewis NJ. Haupt, VI the
University Of PENNSYLVANIA. told some
of the truths Of road construction.
"There is no tax 20 great as that Of bid
roads, il generally accepted maxim r
he said, 'and it is true The horses
have to be fed, although they cannot be
used, and the average cost Of keeping n
horse is Sl25 per year. If the road sur
face be made harder merely by metaling
il, then one horse can do Lle work III
two, and the feed and interest Oh one is
saved
1T is estimated in England that the
mere saving in cost by reducing their
roads to such condition that three
horses can do the work Of four, there
has been effected an economy Of $780,
100000 annually. In the state IL Hi
nois, it is stated that the cost Of hauling
farm products is at least SIS, ,OOO. 900
more than it would BE- if the roads were
improved, and that such improvement
would add $3.50, ,000, 600 TO the value of
the farms. | am well aware that prop
critics on mud roads cannot be sold,
while those on macadamized roads have
increased in value from $50 to $500 per
acre.
'Will it pays have only to refer you
to the precedents of other countries for
an answer. If it viii not, why do we
find England, France, Germany, Switz-
erland, Norway, Sweden and many
other civilized countries building the
best roads they can in the face Of diff
culties which to US would be appalling.
The poor Swiss have built roads through
gorges and around precipjces which
would seem impossible, and which must
have cost over 81 600, 900 per mile.
What will roads cost? The answer
must be guarded by the dimensions,
character Of metal, soils, grades. drain
age, etc, but the prices for turnpikes
range from s. 1000 to $40, 900 per mile
Very fair roads under favorable condi-
tions have been laid for $1,000. and
when deep bottoming and drainage
are required it may run mp to $40, 900,
DAD q DAOdAN say VIII ADltlAlS LDpD9-
raphy, 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 com
panies, as in that case the condition Of
the roads j. dependent upon the liberal
ity of the company. while the commu-
nifty must pay enough in tolls to provide
for the maintenance Of the road, and the
interest and dividends to the stockhold-
ers.
The system Of working out the taxes
by plowing mp 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.
SO that no permanent good result is OBJ
tanned.
''That yOu may perhaps better colnpre-
hend the Importance of the problem. let
me define what a road is Briefly, ii il
line Of communication, ana the ideal
is a line of least resistance. level,
straight. hard and smooth rs possible
that is, with due regard to the traffic
This fact viii be more fully appreciated
when it Is remembered that to pull q
load Of one ton ON different surfaces REL
quires different powers, as stated III THE
following figures: