The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-11-28
SOME ROAD STATISTICS.
REPORT or GEN. ROY STONE. u. S.
OFFiCE or ROlD ESGINEEEiNG.
"The Movement for Good Roads Deeply
Concerns Every Financial ana COM
merciaI Interest In the Land"

siob'i u Agriculture A.''' -~~~'f~N- 49,
following interesting statistics from Cen
eral Roy Stone. the special agent and
engineer OF the United States Office of
Road Engineering.
The Office OF Road Inquiry or the
United States Department of Agriculture
has completed an interesting investiga-
ton relating TO the traffic Of the country
roads In the United states, the results OF
which will be published as Circular No.
-. of the office.
With the aid OF the Division Of Statis-
ties of the department, reports have been
gathered from about LOO counties, giving
! the average length OF maui IN miles rom
farms TO market or shipping po4HtS, .hc
average weight Of load hauled, ana the /
average cost per ton per mile. and rom
this is deduced the average cost per Ton
for the whole length Of haul.
LENGTH OF HAUL.
These returns have been arranged In
groups OF States. and the result shows
! that the average length OF maui IN the
eastern States is 80 miles IN tne nor .Ilelh
States, SO miles, IN the mluuie otaIIea,
| SS miles In the cotton States, 10 miles.
| In the prairie States, S. miles, IN Ine
Pacific Coast and mountain States, 80
| miles, and in the United states, III Mrs
The average weight oil ioau l1 3s S~ Sis
| horses in the eastern states IS -,5lo
| pounds: northern States, Lob pouhus'
middle southern States, l's0s POUNDS. cot
ton States 1897 pounds: p aad noYntsin
| States 2,Ig7 pounds. ana the United
States, 2.ov2 pounds. ..
| The average cost per ton OF Z,VV pOuhus
| per mile I'm the eastern states IS y cents
| northern States. q cents. middle southern
| States 81 cents. cotton States, p cents;
prairie States, y cents. Pacific Coast ana
mountain States. - cents, and the united
The average total cost per ton for the
whole length of haul-Eastern states
Sl.s3. northern States, $50; middle soutn-
ern States. S272: cotton States, 800 pral-
rio States Sigf. Pacific Coast and noun
tain States, s5i2, and the United States
With these data il becomes possible to
obtain approximately the total cost of tho
entire movement OF farm products ana
other classes of materials over country
roads.
WEIGHT OF FARM PRODUCTS.
Taking the census returns Of the farm
products Of the United States for ls"'
adding s per cent for the increase IN 1--WE
years corresponding TO the Increase IN
the previous ten years, nndlng the weighs
OF the various articles, and reducing the
total 10 tons of 2OO pounds, we nave
total weight OF farm products for the
year 1895 of 2l9,s2i.22l tons.
| Comparing the amounts by states, Iowa
leads with 24.231OW tons, limos comes
next with 2i.0o00o0 tons; Kansas with L.,
100000: Missouri. New York, ONO, ana
Nebraska with 100000 10 100000 tons:
Indiana and Pennsylvania about lvuVJ,oV
tons. Michigan, Minnesota, and Niscon-
sin. 100000 70 100000 tons. ana IeAas'
Colorado. Kentucky, and Tennessee T.
l00,o0 10 100000.
amount Of hay and grain consumed upon
the farms where they are raised, nor Is
there any return OF large classes OF ma
terals moved over the country roads,
among which are:
Building materials. including stone,
lumber. brick. line and sand.
Fencing materials.
Road materials-gravel, stone, etc.
Fertilizers. commercial and domestic,
| lime and plaster
| Coal, ore, and metals.
Straw and fodder.
Home-killed meats and animals driven
TO market.
Garden products and grass seeds.
Poultry and eggs.
| Merchandise.
Farm machinery.
u IL deemed safe. however. 10 offset
these various items against hOme-con-
sumed hay and grain, and 80 count the
equivalent OF the total farm product as
| being hauled on the public roads.
The Division Of Forestry OF the depart
ment furnishes an estimate Of forest pro-
ducts as follows
Annual cut Of fuel. Is 00o. 900 900 cubic feet
MIL product ........ 1900. 600 900 cubic feet
Total ............23. OOO. 900 900 cubic feet
AMOUNT OF LUMBER HAULED.
The Chief Of the Forestry makes the
very safe estimate that one-fourth Of this
total, or 5,l,O,Oe00O0 cubic feet, Is hauled
over the public roads. Adding timber
used for railroad construction, 100000
cubic feet, makes a total OF 6255, 900 900,
which. at 30 pounds per cubic foot. gives
49, 525, 600 tons of 1000 pounds. Adding this
TO the total farm product gives 1898 2zl
tons, which, AT the average cost above
stated. S3O2 per ton. makes a grand total
for Ia nal nf an he
public roads Of 1916. IA. 1851.
The immensely of this charge VIII be
best realized by comparing 1t with the
] values Of all farm products in the United
States for the year 1890 8. $50 no. 454. which
values have probably diminished since
that date
What portion Of the total cost of haul
! age is chargeable 10 bad roads can be
better ascertained when the report from
our consuls abroad regarding the cost of
, haulage on good roads is received. This
= State Department by the Secretary Of
Agriculture in recent communication.
LOSS FROM BAD ROADS.
The increase in cost OF haulage actually
done is by no means the only loss by bad
roads. The loss Of perishable products
for want OF access 10 market, the failure
! TO reach market when prices are good,
+ and the failure to cultivate products
which would be marketable If markets
were always accessible. add many millions
over the enforced idleness of millions OF
men and draught animals during large
portions OF the year is a loss not always
taken into account in estimating the cost
OF work actually done
Information already in possession Of the
Office Of Road Inquiry indicates that, all
things being considered. nearly ii not
| quite two-thirds OF this vast expense may
be saved by road Improvement. and this
at total cost not exceeding the losses
Of three or at the most, four years by
bad roads.
There is al least enough in these facts
TO justify the assertion Of the National
League for Good Roads, endorsed by the
Chamber OF Commerce of the State OF
New York, that the movement for good
roads deeply concerns every commercial
and financial interest in the land. We
are handicapped IN all the markets Of the
world by an erroneous waste Of labor in
the primary transportation OF our pro-
ducts and manufactures. while our home
markets are restricted by difficulties in
rural distribution which not infrequently
clog all the channels or transportation,
trade and finance"