New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-06-26
voTJVE POWER DEMANDED.
CORRESPONDENT WOULD RELOCATE
HORSES INTO DISUSE.
.,,, STATE CONSTRUCTION OF ELECTRIC ROADS
FOR GENERAL CARRYING PURPOSES
~. Editor of The Tribune.

- .,. Editor of The Tribune.
81, T, Is an opinion expressed by Lord Ma
,Iav and Aeld by many other great statesmen
ga philosophers that the three things which have
" ,huted most to the advancement of civiliza-
49,, are the alphabet the prii-ti press ana the
,nyAntions which tend 10 overcome distance ana
s,n,nish TIE cost OF transportation. The alphabet
10. been completed. the printing press Is hghIy
AFFECTED but the means of transportation can DO
Saoty improved: and | believe there is nothing
store rs for our consideration az the present time
:. greater consequence than that Of cheapenng
-. cost OF transportation. This is especially true
a, the rural districts where the prevailing means
!. still by animal power watch is so weak ana
,s,ly In its TO deprive fully onc-haIi %
n, people of one of these three great agencies
,,ch hive done so much 70 advance the cause OF
rylization
The report OF the Ohio Road Commission OF 1850
4, which l had the honor TO he chairman was the
erst official document ever published in TINS or any
ether country calling attention 10 the slght prog
-ass made IN reducing cost of transportation as
.ompared with the progress made in every o'her
Geld OF development. and suggesting that the TIME
"a emo Cor a new departure by the Application
~ ,nsn!mate power to take the place OF amman
rower as a universal system OF transportation ana
sso stating that the average cost per ton per
mile Is . cents under the prevailing system by
horse power In Mexico for hundreds OF years
,bs,r only means Of transportation was that OF
,v n, Vera Cruz at the coast, and the city
~ Mexico a distance OF 20 miles was % cents
TON a nile. 1t is d remarkable fact that curing lhe
nsrioi Of nearly 400 they were not able TO re-
auce this rate of transportation below % cents PEI
,on ner mile and it is more remarkable fact that
On orr own country and in our own time VITA al
the improvements that we have made touching
,ha means of production ard the of transport
cation we have done but little better than our less
en,erprislng neighbors, in 50 far as we nave ad-
hered 10 animal power means OF trahspor'a-
ton.
COST OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM
I therefore advocate an important and iar-reach-
ing change in the manner Of building country
roads Ny plan Is extend the streetcar tracks
from our cities out into the crcum)acent territory
A distance of thirty or forty miles, so that all the
,srrl,orv between centres of population sixty or
eighty miles apart would be reached. Let these
tracks be 30 made and laid that wagons and car
rases propelled by horses may 20 upon them. as
well as cars propelled by electricity or otner mani
mate power
tits already demonstrated that only one-eghteenth
OF the power Is required 10 move venice over d
rnooth steel track that would be required 10 move II
over a gravel road, one-eighth OF tha' "hlch
would be required move IL over the pest pave
naent When this important fact becomes generaIE
known 10 the farmers. they will realize that IL Is
poor policy to promote the building OF macadam
steel track When the track Is once provided 80
that cars and carriages propelled by horses can
also go upon the tracks with cars propeAeC Dy
electricity the superiority of the inanimate power
will be so apparent that horsepower VIII be quickly
abandoned And what We have seen in Cleveland
and Columbus and other American cities We Will
see upon the country roads namely, complete sub
stNu;on Of inanimate power for animal power
wherever the rails laid.
Heretofore the use of electric cars has been con-
fined to carrying passengers, and the extension OF
the system has depended wholly upon private enter
rrise This must be changed by enlarging the use
70 which the electric are put. and by supple
menting private enterprise by more liberal ana
enlightened public policy. There is TO reason why
the electric roads should be carriers Of freight
as well passengers and especially or food
prC.'ucts from the fed 10 the market
THEY SHOULD BUILD ELECTRIC LINES.
1t is not claimed these electric roads could he
built and maintained wholly out Of tho profits OF the
carrier. but that they should rest a burden upon
the benefited land in the same way that other
road improvements now rest No better expenditure
OF public money could be made for road improve
ments than 10 build system of electric roads con-
Meeting all the country seats with each other and
with the great cities This could be done by each
State by the counties with State aid. And the
roads when 50 built could be operated by leasing to
lowest bidder by taking toll for each vehicle. the
states now do from canal-bOats.
l have estimated the increased value OF agr1-
cultural lands resulting from the decreased cost Of
transportation steel rails by nanimate power
al g. per acre Observation 20 confirm this only
awaits upon experiment
In the Ohio report Of 1893 the total amount Of
tonnage moved by horsepower in the United States
for the year 1892 estimated al 800 10000 tons;
the average distance eight miles The cost OF
moving this tonnage at q cents a ton mile would
be 81 900 900 which stated to be the cost Of
operating the wagon roads for year. How this
great burden could be partially lifted from the peo-
pie the main question considered and reported
upon by the commission, and We indicated that by
substituting inanimate power for animal power for
transportation upon the highways ii would be pos
s!be 20 eliminate four-ffths OF this expense from
the Of ransports ton. In other words instead
OF S.00CoOC0 being required. 500. 900 would be
sufficient leaving net gain 10 the people OF 80 per
cent Of the present cost, or 100000 annually
These figures though expressly stated 70 be esti-
mates and approximations. have been Substantially
confirmed by the Investigations Of the United States
Government through the office Of Road Inquiry.
REDUCED COST OF PRODUCTION.
These figures. / know. are great. beyond the power
Of any mind 10 fully conceive, and the benefits con-
ierred upon the State and upon the country must
e equally great. provided we can substitute for
NE present costly method the economical
one Tor which have been 80 long conending. No
internal Improvement was ever proposed by any
s Sse or by any country which gave promise Of 50
.oenshts to 50 large number Of people asa the in
ssrocucton OF the new system OF transportation by
ianirnate power upon the highways take the
pnce OF animal power as a universal system for
moving all the products Of the country well
al OF the people that are moved upon the
summon roads by animal power
Inere can be doubt about the immensely OF
tns trafic that constantly goes by animal power
upon the roads, and there can be doubt about
me great cost Of this transportation although IL is
rue that the ordinary individual is unconscious of
ths cost for the that he does ordinarily
pay In money; but the cost OF transportation is paid
oy me producer and Is merged In with the cost of
production. u Is also true that when the price of
aSrlcultural products high II not necessary
70 hgure very close whether II cost 81 ton or 50
ION, or whether II costs 10 cents bushel
cents a bushel for transportation because the
poiii on production and the Increase that resulted
tka -. l...l H.