The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1897-06-11
WASHINGTON NEWS.
Secretary Gage Reports on the
Feeling In the West.
Good Roads New Hampshire Banks.
Public Library ! rnt Ofiice-New
Building Needed Personal.

Public Library The a rnt Ofice-New
Building Needed Personal.
From Our Correspondent.
1t has been rather dull week. The
senate has been plodding along on the
tariff bill, and is making considerable
Roadway, while the house has agreed
to the final conference report on the sun
dry civil appropriation bill, and the
Democrats have been devoting them
selves to fighting Speaker Reeds policy
of doing nothing until the senate returns
abe tariff bill.
Secretary of the Treasury Gage, who
has just returned from Cincinnati, says
that a feeling of impatience seemed to
he general among business people at the
delay in the passage of a tariff bill. Ac-
cording to the secretary, the business of
the country is in a condition approach
ing stagnation, and although the public
realize that the greatest care is necessary
in the construction of a bill of such vast
Importance, the people are beginning
to complain of the time consumed. What
they most want, he says, is the prompt
passage of a bill that will produce suffi-
cient revenue, and with that question out
of the way the government can take up
the question of reform in the currency.
The business men in attendance on the
Cincinnati meeting, Mr.. Gage said, were
agreed that a currency commission
should be authorized and appointed at
once with view to their formulating
plan which could be presented to con-
Gress on it's reassembling in December
During the recess of congress it was
thought that hearings could and should
be given by the commission to tnancierS
and others who might desire to be heard
from all parts of the country. 1t was
great question, Mr.. Gage added, and
should have the fullest discussion. II
the commission should fail to agree upon
a satisfactory plan the administration
very likely would have a proposition to
present to congress. In any event, the
people with whom the secretary con-
versed were agreed that some nitiatory
action should be taken at once. The bus
mess of the country, he said, impatiently
demanded it.
1t seems to be the prevailing opinion.
here that business will show percepti |
BILE sign of improvement shortly after
the passage of the tariff bill. Men of all
shades of political belief seem to admit
that. OF course the silver men are claim. .
ing that the squirt will only be tempo
rary, but the Republicans aver that the
good times are coming for good, when
they once get here, as result of remedial
tariff legislation.
The secretary of agriculture has start
ed a series of experiments that it is be-
lieVed, will result in showing the best
method of road construction in this coun
try, and will cause the construction Oh
better highways in the future than have
existed Secretary Wilson will begin this
work at the New Jersey Agricultural col
lege, at New Brunswick, where a fund
of about $4,000 will be provided by the To-
cal authorities, and the work will b.
continued in Geneva, N. y, where con-
tributions made for the purpose by the
city, the experiment station and private
citizens amount to about $1,000.
The necessity for the improvement OF
the common roads of the country has
long been recognized by Secretary Will
son. Together with many others who
have looked into this matter, he has con-
cluded that there is vast amount OF
waste of energy resulting from bad roads
which have to be frequently traversed
by the farmers. Shortly after coming
into office he requested General Stone, in
charge of the office of road inquiry of
the department of agriculture, to look
into the matter and report upon the best
methods for road improvement.
This report concludes that macadam
or all broken stone construction is gen.
orally preferable to the Telford system,
which consists of a foundation of large
stones set on edge with a covering of
broken stone, and that narrow stone
roads are better than wide ones, except
h9p = l,A ie he A -,
gle track of stone, it is concluded serves
all the purposes of an ordinary country
road, and saves all the advantages of a
smooth earth track along the side fol
travel in dry weather. The side road
being used only when it is dry. or as a
turnout when it is wet, is always in con-
ditiOn to turn out upon without diff
Guilty. The cost of the stone read is re
duced One-half, and the cost of repairs
much more than one-half.
1t is also believed that a thin coating
of stone, well laid, is better than a thick
one badly laid. Four inches of stone.
well compaCted, on a good roadbed are
worth more than eight inches loosely laid
and left to the travel" to finish Fine I
stones are better than coarse ones for
the construction. and too much stress
cannot be laid upon having a good quail
lty of stone for Surfaclng. The system
of continuous repairs is regarded as very
much more satisfactory and more eco
nomical than the waiting system.
One of the more important parts of this
Investigation is that which has led to a
determination on the part of the depart
ment to experiment with steel roads. 1t
is said that the reduction of the pull re-
Quired to remove a load from 40 pounds ]
per ton on a macadam road to eight
pounds on a steel track is sufficient to
overcome many objections which have
been urged against the latter system. {
Under the present Investigations the OBJ
iections to steel roads have mainly disap-
peared. The obstacle of original expense !
is overcome by the reduced price of
material, and the anticipated high cost
of maintenance the latter avoided by
doing away entirely with wood in the
construction. The danger of horses
slipping on the rail in going up or down
hill is met by indenting the rail used on
grades sufficient to catch the horses {
calks without roughening the tread for
wheels. The form of steel rails proposed ]
is an inverted trough with a slightly {
raised bead on the inside. The rail is