Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-11-01
ABOUT OUR HIGHWAYS.
4 Writer Tells Plain Truth About Eroau
Tires Versus Road Taxes.


There are differences enough be
tween horse and wagon so that
even a high prOtectiOnist ought never
t. mistake one for the other One OF
the most obvious differences is that
wagon is capable of its best work only
when thoroughly tired, which can
hardly be said of the horse, and it has
also been noticed that the horse gets
more tired as the wagon isn't.
While resting my bones in the
Michigan grass last summer. l had
pleasant opportunity of listening to,
and verifying. the talk of a well-in.
formed, practical, and consequently
weil-tO-dO-farmer l noticed that the
wooden wheels Of his wagon had very
broad tires (and by the way, IcOuldu't
help noticing how well wood seems lu
answer for the Wheels Of faI N wagons
| asked a great many questions abou5
the broad tires, and this is what /
found out
1t seems that the Michigan law
makers have had their windows open
so that the new light has begun 10
shine on them. The value of brad
wheel tires being apparent and not
wishing to put the farmer to com
pulSOrY expense, they have made
law the drift of which is that tha
man who will use on his wagon tires
of certain width shall have rebate
in his road tax of Oue-half And this
is how it works. In buying new
wagon the difference in cost is slight,
Is the wider tires may be much thin
ncr and the added strength in the
wooden rim makes a stronger wheel.
TO take from a wagon already in
use the narrow rims and tires and re-
place them with wider ones costs be-
tween SI2 and $50, and in the case OF
the farmer to whom l refer, the di-
rect saving in road tax dt once was bet
ter than twenty-five per cent. on the
cost of making the alteration. To
man who was lOaning his surplus
money at six or seven per cent, the
broad tires looked like good invest.
ment, even if there was no other al
vantage. But the other advantages
were much greater lie showed me
| that in the cOrnfcld thirty bushels
! had been Il good load with narrow
tires and he could now haul hftV
| bushels with greater ease. When it
came to hauling stuff to market the
! load could, with wide tires. be in
creased from TWENTY-FIVE to fifty per
cent This much from the farmers
standpoint. How about the common
wealth? 1t has been discovered that,
! in localities where considerable pOr-
tion OF the inhabitants use the broad
tires, the decreased tax keeps the road
i l..0a.
! tax did when the narrow tires PIE
vailed, and it is believed by men who
are in 4 position 10 know that when
broad tires are universally used, the
| highways (all kinds, from the city
pavement to the poorest dirt rOad)
may be kept in very much better con-
! 1ition than at present with one fourth
| he present cost.
The greatest improvement for the
least outlay IS what the present gen
Grafton is most likely to realize on,
and while | thoroughly believe in all
the good work now being done to the
roads / believe that no road Will ever
be built that can stand narrow tires
under heavy loads, and to improve
| the road first IS beginning at the
toward the forced general adoption OF
wheel treads proportioned to the max
| imum load to be carried is the thing
to be first pushed. Such a law made
universal would greatly improve pres
ent roads, and as fast Is roads were
made better, would tend to kceT
them so. If YOU were putting down
a new parlOr carpet you wouldn't let
the boys continue to walk on ii with
| hOb-nailed shoes, would yOu2 Ii you
| did, the carpet appropriations would
begin to run short and you would
| have to appeal to the Legislature for
| aid
There is just one valid objection tO
wide tires and that is, that such a
wagon runs hard over a road which is
mostly used by the old kind Of tires,
but when all wheels are what they
should be there will be no ruts TAT
least not in the road, and the face Of
the farmer may yet be shortened 50
that he gets shaved at the regular
price. | have often heard teamsterS
say they would be glad to use broad
tires if everyone else was compelled
to do 50.
This is the key to the situation
Maze wrongdoing in this direction il
legal, at the same time show to the
wagon owner why it is directly pro-
fitable to him to comply with the
law Dix you ever notice how will
lingiy a man becomes law-abIding
citizen when he can make money by
it? The money now expended for
roads would come very near making
them good roads if it were not for the
constant abuse inflicted by narrow
tires. But | do not believe it posi-
bic to ever raise money enough to
keep the roads where they should be
until the tire question is settled 10y
law, and any such law which was To
take effect two (Or even One) years
latter its passage could not be hardI
ship to nybody.-GOod Roads.