The state republican. (Jefferson City, Mo.) 1871-1896, 1892-06-09
FOR BETTER ROADS.

At a recent session of the Illinois Hard Road Convention hhd at
Springfield, ILL.,, the following resolutions were adopted:
move ManRr aS.a Heretofore s@n,t the s interest "a. and enthusiasm in the good-roads
have died down ss'" when settled 1T S'"aths i%s mae ss o"r dirt re roads o pss aS1e;
WHEREAS, It is clearly impossible to obtain helpful legislation and
so ep so osds' Shio %n en Ss a hsgS e. p snS n%d pnSl Sv sentiment sentiment. f syoFn1sn to
sd"'1 ssoa1ssS YORK Ths s%9 t5gs the "n MASSES; Therefore nr e !, com,ni,+. ., r,,,,t;,,
CONSISTING ss1ss's 4 FIVE 2 a discreet s%s s' PERSONS sa speahG' d { es%% to the sa sa Of aosd
'%Rssss%:n si s sesd rs %sy It sss ;ss sot Be the ts is.'s' n ia5s'% ai sesy isGHs The The
F nssssss,yy funds IN Ss and !. st hss, pertinent i'm It. Information n4s,. asd s;s and shall b. dinass this
con r assapsa 81 T tbsir a ss so@Sist9 no If ssT Isa1 BE sp ad ssd. to attend n .t the State .hs
adoption Of q plank in their platform indorsing the OBJECT for " Which this his
:Reso1usd, That a committee of five be appointed hereafter by the
i pG9rdent n of this r1 Association ]" dn t@t present sat,, the matter att r Of FTP permanent ea a eao or
endeavors to SECURE such legislation a may be necessary to promote the
free % gsS1p' 1s Demand Bsing 0P 9Bst ao tS eSn Idssr labor Ss nG Gpmipgi ii in ;S oUntaGit with It'll
public highways.
WIDE WAGON TIRES AND DRAINAGE.
Levi 0n61uck, Secretary:
am going to write you a few lines in regard to roads, in which see
Much has been said and written during the past year on this subject,
published in your last BULLETIN, but oe mentioned the real causes that
many Years: N1sts thorough drainage, bitches deep enc ai't to T prevent VENT any any
water getting on the road,bed from the outside; second, wide tires on all
,,..; Ordinary n farm wagons should b have foa5iinoh tires, and the limit to be
snasIs s S5 , vaggn, dr TGss ss three For sos every 6z. additional qsr ton fa, s' ,i inch Of t tire
and $ on. IN France no freight wagon has less than sixinch tires and in IN
thereby %ss 1s Smoothing nas OF asr roh 1ns tvs two n feet . Of G %o %ot of l1 1osSlb s' at 'ns h'p passa gs'
nj , IN England " very wide tires tires s are used and the limit required BY law is
Now unless the Iegislar e of this State legilate the narrow tires out
Sts existence g. there is little use in being to any expense except drainage in
had sS@ a Continual tin sG objeot lie n on S Sfa narrow 's sies ra ap .hs a destroying yh sn nns e and ali i
kinds of pavement, even Medina stone.
For many years l have been satisfied that narrow tires were the cause
OF more damage to the people Of this State than the hog cholera, for that
a = safs mai t e' 3 to ie sea m o11' or %' iss Of q P s5siF ho si' H %hh 1s'n nsrso w shs ss' a ss
doing their mischief every day and every hour, destroying the most costly
roads and streets. On roads that sustain a heavy traffic gravel or macadam
is needed, but with wide tires less than ne-haf the thickness will be
required. /! have two wide.tired wagons for general use, and don't allow a
nsrrow.tired one on my farm under any circumstances There is no day
IN a year when a team cannot haul a heavier load on o wide tire than IN a
narrow one. have had four years practical experience with wide tires on
all kinds OF roads and streets in Kansas City and vicinity and know whereof
l speak.
The cost of changing a common farm wagon of one and onehalf-
inch tire 10 fOurinchs steel tire n fourth or fye-lxteenths in thicknoss
w sl fall between twelve and sixteen dollars, and Legislatures of other
States have allowed one years time to make the change OF course all new
wagons built in this State or shipped in would be built wide at a small cost
ABOVE n worthless one and one halfinch in general us now. In your
position you can agiate the two practical points l have mentioned in news
papers in every county in the State, and by the time the Legislature meets
again public sentiment will demand such legislation. Colman's Rural
World and the Ohio Farmer both charge the impossible condition of all
roads where it belongs to narrow tires. Yours respectfully.
Lathrop, Mo. GEo. A. PAToH. q