The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-11-17
CONCERNING GOOD ROADS.
A Reply to the Address of the Portland
Wheel Club.
To the Editor of the Press:

To the Editor of the Press:
| just before the recent election there
appeared IN your paper an address from
the Portland Wheel club to the citizens
OF Maine. The far reaching conse
quences of the policy championed by the
address makes it important to examine
Its claims. Now when election echoes
have died away such an examination
may hope for hearing.
The article Is entitled, "For Good
Roads," but it remains to be shown that
the movement, If successful, will result
IN anything except a few expensive
State roads. The example of Massachu-
setts Ia cited and references is made TO
lss grand system of highways." That
grand system. in the country portions
OF the commonwealth, consists Of half
milo OF mile of macadamized road in
possibly one third OF the towns sur
rounded by one hundred or one hundred
and 1ifty miles of roads which the wheel
club characterizes as dismal failures.
Massachusetts. was advocated at the out
set on the ground that they would serve
as object lessons to country commune
ties, and would set these communities
constructing similar roads themselves.
With that apparent object. the portions
constructed were parcoled out in half
mile patches, and were scatt cred through
the State among the henighted people.
But. as the work goes ON, this confu-
sion of patches, or a part Of it, show
signs of developing into a series Of high
ways through the State. Whom these
are finished each of the favored towns
macadamized road, but it would nos be
easy to show that these roads are pro-
ducine the slightest effect rs object les
sons or are likely to do so. They pro-
duce no other "go0d roads,"
The address tells us that the farmers
OF Massachusetts are hearty advocates Of
the new policy. Without doubt many
OF them are. They have in prospect
three or four miles of expensive road
which the State pays for, aud the state
taxes come, very largely, from the wealthy
cities and manufacturing centres. More
over the towns have the privilege of
building these roads themselves; the
state is liberal paymaster and the state
road industry, while it lasts, distributes
good deal of money through these
towns. Zeal for state roads under such
circumstances no more shows the value
of the work than zeal for the river and
harbor bill shows the value of many i'm
proved water ways which ii provides.
Again look at the claims made for
the saving by good roads. The method
OF estimating the. traffic over our high
ways in this good road literature is by
citing the freight traffic on the rail-
roads. The address tells US that "every
ounce" of that weight "goes over the
highways" The statement is literally
far from the truth and in the inferenoes
1T suggests it is utterly misleading and
worthless. Very many of our great man
ufacturiDg companies have branch tracks
in their own yards and their freight does
not pass one foot over the highway.
Many Others are SO near the track that
their effect on the highways is not worth
considering.
Again the whole freight traffic fur
nished and received by the cities must
be rsckoned out. That already goes over
roads as good as paving can make them.
Still further the entire freight hauled
over any road in winter when jack frost
furnishes the road-bed, must be deduct
ed. Under this item it is to be remem-
bered that immense quantities Of certain
kinds OF freight are hauled in winter
and piled beside the railroad track winch
are loaded on the cars In summer.
When these items are deducted, what
remains? Are computations which
neglect such factors entitled to respectY
The estimates of the relative loads on
dirt roads and on macadamized roads
are no better. The address intimates
that 1900 pounds and 5000 pounds are the
q 1na0 nm n bo
ans thing about fairly goad country roads
should make such an estimate. Two tons
of coal are habitually drawn by the coal
teams between Yarmouth and Freeport,
n long, billy road. The same horses
would he heavily loaded ii compelled to
draw three tons from the wharves in
Portland to the top of Munjoy Hill.
misleading. After all possible improve
ment of the highways a large part Of, the
transportation over them would still be
done on small loads. 1t would be as rea.
sonable to compute the saving to Port
land from paved streets on the theory
that all it's transportation would or
could be done by 6000 pound loads, as 10
apply that theory TO the. country. Yet
all the so-called good road literature off,
cred US does apply that test.
but worst of all, perhaps, is the uni
form failure to take any notice OF the
interest on the cost Of the new roads. We
are given estimates Of the loss to the
farmer from bad roads and almost in
variably that loss Is represented to be the
difference between the cost of transporta-
ton on the present roads and on those
proposed. The Wheel Club asks: "Can
the farmers afford to loss such div1-
dend?' Dividends are usually estimated
after ones debts are paid in this case
the debts are completely ignored.
Inc address of the Wheel Club tells US:
We have proven in many different
places-and have never failed in single
attempt-that we can afford to have good
roads. -
GoodSroads and maoadamized roads are
synonymous ip the Wheel Club vooabu-
larry. The average cost per mile of the
state roads already constructed in Mas
saohusetts is $40 400.
The town Of Freeport is reported as
having 100 miles of highway. The cost
OF macadamizing at the above rate
would be over 81, 600. 900. The entire
valuation of the town Is less than
SSUO, oUu above that figure.
- macadaInize even half of the roads
would cost $500,OOO and the interest
charge would carry the rate of taxation
up nearly to the rate{of interest allowed
by The savings bankg Perhaps some