The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-01-08
miscellaneous.
ROADS IN JAPAN.

Even That PARKWAY Country Can Read
America a Lesson on Highways.
Mr.. Scidmore, vice consul general of
the United States to Kanagawa, Japan,
in recent report to the state depart
ment on the condition of roadbuilding
and maintenance in Japan, dismissed
the subject very briefly and evidently
thought that Americans had nothing to
learn in this regard, at least from the
ingenious and polite people who live on
the other side of the Pacific. He said
In his report that previous to the open
ing of the country to foreign intercourse
nearly all of the inland travel and car
rying was confined to the backs of coolies
and pack horses, and in spite of the in
trodnction of railways and jinrikishas,
such is to very great extent still the
case"
Our consul makes an error in the brief
paragraph have quoted from his short
report. If he had only consulted DIR.
Kaemfer's ''History of Japan" he would
have learned that that enterprising
Dutchman went from Nagasaki to Yeddo
in 1891 over very good road, which was
then and is still called the Tokaido. On
this road, by the way which is 307 miles
in length and connects kioto and Toxic,
the japanese have recently done very
important piece of engineering work
without any aid from Europeans. About
little over 100 miles west of Toxic the
old line passed over the summit of
ridge and the travelling was slow and
tedious. They have remedied this by
building a tunnel. A good roadway,
some eighteen feet in width, leads over the
ridge on either side in zigzag directions,
so as to admit of wheeled vehicles pass
ing along it in perfect safety, and tho
tunnel runs through the center of the
hill, thus connecting the two roadways.
! The passage is about 200 yards in
length; at the east end it is faced with
stone, then the roof is supported by tim
Der arches for some distance; small
portion is next hewn out of a stratum
Of solid rock; and finally the timber
arches are again continued as far as
the western extremity. The breadth
throughout is about twelve feet and the
height about ten feet. AS the. tunnel
runs in curved line, owing to the for
nation of the hill, and is thus very dark,
lamps are placed in it at intervals,
while at each end are fixed in the ground
several posts, each surmounted by
brightly polished oblong plate of tin, to
reflect the rays of the sun into the inte-
rior. This of course is not such very
imposing piece Of engineering work, but
when it be considered that it was fin
ished as far back as 1878 by the Japa-
nese in their efforts to improve their in
terror methods of communication, it
seems quite important indeed, and it
SHOWS that this people were keenly alive
even at that time to the great question
of road improvement.
But to return to the report of the
American consul moment and extract
another paragraph. He says, speaking
of the country highways, not the streets
of Japanese cities, ''The maintenance of
these roads is at the cost of the local vii
lage or district authorities, from taxes
levied specially for the purpose" Had
this been so should never have written
this article, and had never thought of
writing the article l never would have
come across the transformation which
has been sent to the department of state
from the American consulate general in
Kanagawa. The roads of Japan are ad-
ministered after a regular system, and
the method of apportioning the expense
for building and repairs appears to be
equitable and worthy of examination.
This is just where the laws of most of
the states in America are faulty, for the
cost of constructing and maintaining all
the country roads are borne by country
people, and that, too, is often the case
with highway uniting large and pros
porous towns.
In Japan the general authorities i'll
1875 called for meeting in Toxic of all
the local projects, for the purpose Of de-
termining upon a method of general
road superintendent. This meeting re-
suited in the preparation of a bill which
became law, by which all roads were
classified and the sources from which
the sums necessary for their repair and
maintenance determined upon. This was
the subdivision:
National roads, consisting Of
ClaSS i. fbOaQS letuluB lOhiO 10 INC Va
rious treaty ports.
Glass 2. Roads leading from Toxic to the an
cestral shrines of Japan, in the province of Ise,
and also to tho various fu (cities) or military
stations.
Glass 8. Roads leading from Toxic to the va
rious ken perfectures) offices, and those FORM
ing the lineof connections between the various
fu and military stations.
u-Ken perfecture) roads, consisting Of
Class /. Roads connecting different perfec-
lures or leading from the various military Sta
tions to their several outposts.
Glass 2. Roads connecting the head offices of
the various cities and perfectures with their
several branch offices.
Glass 3. Roads connecting noted localities
with the chief town of such neighborhoods, or
leading to the seaports convenient of access
from those localities
uI-Village roads, consisting Of
Glass l. Roads passing through several local
tiles in succession, or merely leading from one
locality to another.
Glass 2. Roads specially constructed for the
benefit of irrigation, pasturage, mines, manu-
ETC., consequent upon measures de-
terunined by local population.
Glass 8. Roads constructed for the benefit of
Shinto shrines, Buddhist temples or for hecul-
tivation of rice fields and arabic lands.
The national roads are paid for and
kept in order at the expense of the ma
tinnal government, the work being done