Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1893-06-29
COUNTRY ROADS.
New Ideas Advanced for the Improveme mt
of Our Highways.
From Scientific American. |

From scientific American.
The Wheelmen's League is agitating a
scheme for improved country roads
more than $4,000 600 for this State.
They have introduced bill in the legis-
lature for the promotion of this object,
and to mollify the farmers, who are ex-
pected to object to the tritling expendi-
ture, 1t is announced that only small
part of the cost will be levied on the agi j.
cultural districts. 1t is not announced,
however, where the weight of the levy is
to fall, and in the absence of more def
mite information it is presumed that the
main part of the cost will be assumed by
the bicyclers themselves, the young fell
lows who compose the league. The cit
les are careless about bicycling, and it is
not thought that they could be drawn in
to the scheme without even a greater eff
fort than it takes to paddle bicycle over
muddy road.
There is an alternative plan, however,
which has been considerably agitated
among electrical engineers and manufac-
turers, and it is one that cannot fail to
be of great interest to farmers when it
has generally been brought to their at
tention. 1t is plan to lay electric rail-
ways on all the country roads, aud,
through the general distribution of cleo
trical power, to enable the farmers to
not only travel wherever they please to
GO, at about any rate of speed that they
are willing to risk, in vehicles under their
own private control, but to do a large
part of their farm labor by electrically
propelled agricultural implements. The
,tr ,,,f cx net -,
summarized as follows:
First, it will make the cheapest and the
only comprehensive system of road i'm
provement that can be considered prac-
ticable for country so large as the
United States. In most sections of this
country district ten miles square con-
tains about 100 miles of roadway. In
the western states the mileage is great
err; but in the east and south it is some
times even less. But in district ten miles
square there are 600 one hundred acre
farms, or their equivalent total of 64 900
acres. Then, as the electric motor has q
wonderful facility for running up hill
and there will be little or no grading re-
quired, it is not difficult to estimate the
cost.
Taking district ten miles square, the
surface that can be served from single
central power station, and estimating on
the cost OF the track, poles, wires, and
central power stations OF the electric rail-
ways already in operation as basis, it is
maintained that total capitalization of
$40 per acre would be sufficient to pro-
vide an electric railway system in the
country, not considering any further ag-
ricultural use of the electric power. This
would mean an annual interest charge of
60 cents per acre, or $50 for each 100
acres of land in the district. 1t seems
like very trifing expenditure when we
consider the magnitude of the service
proposed. But, of course, to, this esti-
mate must be added the operating ex-
penses, and the interest on the cost of
the electric wagons owned or rented by
the farmers. IL the calculations of the
electrical experts, however, the total is
not made to equal the expenditures en-
tailed by our existing road system when
we count the saving of time as an Incl
dent of value. AS to the profits of the
operating companies, they would accrue
to the farmers themselves if they become
as it is maintained they should be, the
chief stockholders.
Next after the claim for greater econ
omy comes the claim for greater eff
cheney in service. The advocates of an
electric system of country roads main
tain that it costs farmer who lives at
any considerable distance from town
more money to get his produce to mar
ket than it afterward costs to get it to
New York, or even to Liverpool; and,
whether this claim be well founded or
not, it is certain that, if a farmer places
any value upon his time, the marketing
of his produce is a very expensive I'M
p,,t will al VIII aEy
in operation he need go to no consider
able expense for this work. The COM
papies owning the electric plant could
send cars or trains to the different farm
yards, collect the produce, and deliver ii
at the nearest market town for a small
part of the cost entailed by slow horses
and wagons, even estimating time as OF
value. But this would be only the be-
ginning of the farmers advantages.
The ability to travel at any hour Of the
day or night and through any kind OF
weather, in perfectly protected vehicle
at the rate of Is or 20 miles an hour
would be a source of inestimable con.
Venience and comfort.
The third advantage claimed for the
system is still broader than even the
claim of greater economy, greater con-
venience, and more generally efficient
service. 1t is commonly known that
during recent years the increase of pop.
ulation in this country has been flowing
in disproportioned ratio toward the
cities and large towns along the line Of
railway communication, while the little
country villages remain merely cross
roads hamlets, without growth or prog
ress of any kid. This is due to the fac
that the manufacturing interests Of the
Union are rapidly growing, and tina
only the towns along the line OF railway
communication offer the advantages OF
cheap production and the cheap distribu
ton of merchandise. 1t costs too much
to distribute coal through the country
districts to permit its use for anything
but domestic purposes. But with a sys
tenn of electric railways in operation thi
disparity would disappear. On accoun
of the greater cheapness of lands ant
rents, the smaller villages would become
the most available points for cheap pro
duction, even while the steam engin
and coal remained the only source O
manufacturing power. But with tn
general distribution of the current woult
come also the general distribution o
$50. .o-or. apd tbis would add r.