The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-07-18
Be FOR GOOD ROADS
Distinguished Leader Writes
for News and Observer.
COL, ALBERT A. POPE
Tells of the Advantages to Be
Gained.
ALL PATRIOTIC CITIZENS FAVOR THEM
Interesting Article on Good Roads--CoI. Pope
Favors Lump Appropriations ard State
Supervision Of Highways Con-
Meeting Trade Centres.
Meeting Trade Centres.

| The excessive cost of Transporting pro-
| duce over country roads to the shipping
points on railroads and waterways is,
| in the main, accountable for the lack of
that thorough interchange of commodi-
| ties which would insure the greatest good
to the greatest number. The enterprise
Of railway magnates has made it possible
for the vast wheat regions of America
| to find profitable market not only along
| our Atlantic coast, but even across the
| water. Could this same cheapening of the
cost of transportation be applied to all
| roadways throughout the entire country,
we as a people, would be millions Of dol
| lars better off every year.
| As result of elaborate experiments,
it has been established that 200 pounds
| force will draw one ton over an ordinary
dirt road, that 100 pounds force will do
the same work on a macadam road, and
| that 33 pounds will pull this load on the
best granite blocks, while only fifteen
pounds is required to do the work on an
asphalt pavement.
| 1t is estimated that in New York there
are 10000 trucks carrying an average
| load of ton and a half for three miles ON
| each of the business days Of the year, and
| with an average daily cost of 81 for each
truck. This means sixty-fve million tons
| transported one mile in every year for
| fourteen million dollars, or about % cents
per ton per mile.
To increase the sale of draught wag-
| ons throughout the entire country, you
must so increase the cost Of hauling
| by them, that this method of transporta-
| ton will not materially interfere with
| reasonable profits. There is only one
way in which this can be done, and that
is by so constructing and keeping in
| repair the roadbed and its surface, that
| draught animals can haul the maximum
| load at the minimum price.
The suburbs of city like Boston, or
any region where the thoroughrates are
| in good condition, are trayersed by nu-
merous daily wagon expresses, running
| from the centre of trade to the various
towns within radius of from fifteen to
thirty miles. If we had poor roads here,
| so that the horse would drag only the min
| imum load, it would be more profitable
to ship goods to suburban stations by the
steam cars and then deliver them from
there by local expresses. You can see at
a glance that this state of affairs makes
good demand for a certain class of wag-
ons in and about cities where roads and
highways are properly built.
1t is a self-evident fact that there could
| be no market for pleasure carriages in
| region where there were no passable
roads, and the converse of this PROPOSE
| ton must. therefore, be true, viz, that
| the region possessing the greatest mile
age of driveways will, other things being
equal, use the greatest number of pleas
ure vehicles.
The citizens of New York are unfor-
| tunate in that they possess only one or.
| two good drives within a reasonable dis
lance Of the residential quarter Of the
city. One can go out through the park
way, or through the boulevard, but if he
| is in the habit of driving daily, he must
cover about the same space 800 days in
| the year. Other cities. not so peculiarly
located as New York, have scores of de-
| lightful drives leading in almost every di-
rection through most interesting regions,
| and itfnaturally follows that in propor-
ton to population and wealth these other
cities give a greater demand for pleasure
| carriages than the Metropolis of New
| York. These two facts illustrate what
good roads are in their relation to the car
rage maker. 1t is question Of good
roads and profitable business, or poor
roads and financial loss.
Many of our large cities are making
great improvements in paved streets, and
the interest in highway improvement has
become so general throughout the Unit
ed States that the leading question is not,
shall we have good roads, but what is the
best method of securing them. l have
from the outset, believed in the State
supervision of the highways connecting
large centres of trade, and ana of the
opinion that the excellent work already
accomplished by the Massachusetts High
way Commission, compared with that
done in other States, demonstrates the
fact that we are on the right track,
and that it is better for the Legislatures
to appropriate lump sums to be expended
under the supervision of the commission
ers, than to have too much red tape in
the workings Of this reform.
It is of interest to know that in most
places where our Massachusetts High
way Commission have desired to take
lands, either for the extending or broad
| ening of the roads, the owners have con-
tributed the same free of cost, being
thoroughly convinced that the advantage
to be derived from the better roads would
more than compensate for the land used
for this purpose.