The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-03-11
JERSEYS GOOD ROADS.
Progress in Road Improvement Surprising
Every State in the Union.

ETOkTGbS
Every State In the Union.
More practical work is being done in
New Jersey in the direction of good
roads, says the Chicago Record, than in
any other State of the Union, and for
that reason it has been selected by the
Post Office Department for the expert
ment authorized by Congress of a free
delivery system in the rural districts.
The movement was begun in 1898 by the
organization of a highway improvement
association and the passage of a law inn
posing upon the State one-third of the
cost of good roads constructed under the
direction of State Road Commissioner.
Under this statute 25S miles of maca-
damized roadway has been constructed
at an expense of 1856, sos to the State
and upward of million dollars to the
counties and the property-owners.
People can now travel upon hard,
mudless highway in all kinds of weather.
1t is solid and smooth as a boulevard
from Jersey City to Atlantic City, and
from Paterson to Camden. The work
of construction has continued for
series of years-in 1898 and 1894, "a miles;
1895, 6615 miles; 1896, 81 miles, etc. The
cost has been diminished by experience
from an average of $4,000 per mile, in
1898, to 81, 900 mile in 1897. In New
Jersey opposition to the new system has
almost entirely died out, and the
applications for State assistance are
SO numerous that the appropriation
will be increased from 100000 to
100000 this year. The farmers
have found that they actually
save more than the amount of
their taxes in repairing their wagons,
harness, and in horseshoes. without con-
sidering the wear of the animals and the
economy of time.
The road commissioner of New Jersey
whose tact and ability have done much
to promote the movement puts a prac-
teal lesson in mathematics before the
farmers. sit costs 81 cents bushel,"
he says, ''to ship wheat from Chicago to
New York, distance of 900 miles. It
costs 3 cents a bushel to haul wheat on
a level road distance of five miles and
on a sandy road it would cost at least 8
cents per mile to haul it. The saving on
bushel of wheat with good roads for a
distance of five miles would be about
equivalent to that of 375 miles of rail-
road transportation. Thus every mile of
good road places the produces seventy
five miles by rail nearer to the markets.
1T is estimated that the cost of haul
ing 700, 100000 tons of farm products to
market is 50 per ton, or just about
81, 400. 100000. 1t is also estimated that
about go per cent. or this last amount, or
$40, 0O0, 900. would be saved each year
if farmers were able to do this hauling
over good roads. These statements
show the importance of good roads
The real cost of transportation that
burdens our agricultural classes" he
says, sis the part of it between the farm
and the town or railway station rather
than between the railway station and
the market. The loss due to bad roads
is one of the greatest wastes of energy
connected with farming as it is carried
on in this country"
Gen. Stone, the national good roads
commissioner, has been trying to get the
people of New Jersey to try the steel
tract system, as he argues that 1t wilt
save four-ffths of the power now exerted
to haul loads over macadam roads. The
compulsory use of broad tires is also
recommended. Last year the Legisla-
fure passed law relieving from road
tax all persons who would use tires not
less than three and half inches wide
upon their wagons, but it was vetoed by
the Governor because it applied to cities
as well as to the country. 1t will be
amended aud passed again this year.