Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-02-23
1rE WASTE OF BAD ROADS.
Enormous Wealth Worse Than Thrown
Away by Our System of Roadmaking.

| HI OilCt W lhC III Ot AoAth Va Pc@ e-%A<~~i
and the popular interest shown in it il
proof enough that the people have begun
to comprehend its immense importance
to them. The wastefulness of American
life has long been favorite note of the
amazed foreigner, but not in any other
department of our common life is there
such reckless and senseless expenditure
of money and effort to no purpose as in
the construction and maintenance OF
roads.
If the peoples Of Europe were com.
PEELED to reach village or market over
such highways as the dirt roads of our
country districts, they would starve. The
whole of the little profit that they reap
from their fields would not make good the
difference between the cost of transpor-
tation over their smooth. hard turnpikes
and the cost of using the wretched
stretches of mud and bog which consti-
tute. at certain seasons of the year, the
only connecting link between one farm
house and another, and between either
and the centers of village or city life.
1t is estimated that an ordinary horse
will draw load three times as great
over a macadam road as over a dirt
road The difference. which would be
the measure Of economy under system
of improved highways, is enormous. 1t
is because the farmers are beginning to
understand the meaning Of this that the
road question is coming to the front
everywhere
In view of the fact that a state con-
vention is to meet in st. Paul in a couple
of weeks to consider ways and means Of
road improvement, part Of the recent
message of Governor Flower of New
York which deals with this question viii
be read with interest. Governor Flower
commends in the strongest possible Ian
guage the matter of road improvement
to the legislature, and the argument that
he uses is the common and forcible one
drawn from the real economy TO be
found in an expenditure ofall the money
that would be required to furnish any
community with a system of the best
roads.
To this purpose he has endeavored TO
get approximately the cost of maintain
ing the ordinary dirt highway as we
know and see it. The residents Of the
country are aware that this, miserable
substitute for road though it be, IL
maintained at heavy cost. Large sums
of money are expended in keeping il in
so called repair. while the working |
out of the road tax consumes the labor
of great number of men each year.
The repairs that are made under this |
system are worse than primitive. The |
common system of repairing country |
road consists in running a road pillow
along the bitches at the side, throwing
up the sediment that has accumulated |
there and the dirt that has been washed |
down from the surface of the highway.
Then the shovelers throw this into the
middle of the road, leaving open ways
for the water. courses on either side and
a soft dirt track in the middle.
OF course this is ridiculous from the
point of view. With the first
rain the matter that has been deposited
on the surface becomes clinging mncl
which impedes travel, while the few
loads of stone or brush dumped into the
worst places serve barely to make them
passable. This is about all that is I'M
lerstood in this country by making and
roads, 1t is almost wholly la
Dor wasted.
Now, the cost of this work in 80 coun-
lies in New York state is estimated by
he governor at about $2.700.000 an
lually. This counts the actual cash and
the labor at the low rate of 81
Der day. Yet nearly s3.0o0.0O0 are
brown away in single state under the
that it is the best that can
De done to improve the means for farm
and to furnish facilities
or neighborhood communication.
With no greater expenditure" says I
Governor Flower, and this is the moral
# his message and of all that is to be
aid about good roads, "but under diff. ,
erent system. each county might be COW
red with fine macadam roads, with all ,
he resulting advantages in appreciation 1
# property and in economy of transpor-
alton" That is to say, the money which S
) now spent in this futile piling up loose {
irt, to embarrass travel whileit remains
n place and to be washed back into the
utters after few heavy rains, would
e sufficient to pay the interest on all the
money necessary TO build first class mac
dam roads and to provide sinking fund /
or the payment of the principal. :
1t is to this point, to the awful waste :
illness as well as worthlessness of the i
resent system, and to the feasibility of /,
ecuring the best, that we wish at pres g
Mt to direct the attention of the people !
{ the farming districts. The best roads $
lay be had. and the best are by long !,
dds the cheapest. This is no utopian J.
;heme. but a matter of hard headed :
usiness. i
But the first step is to have our people Il
iop for a moment to calculate the i'm o
tense sums that are now wasted on the t
are Of roads and ON dragging light loads n
yer them and the millions of dollars RI
nat might be saved every year to the
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