Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1899-02-16

In the Forum for February, Otto
Dorner, chairman national committee
on highway Improvement, League OF
American Wheelmen, writes on the
subject of good roads. 1t has been said
that before we could thoroughly realize
tho difficulty of hauling on our common
country roads, one of two things had
TO happen; either the horse must learn
TO talk, or else we must take his place
on Tho wagon; and that the latter &C.
CURED when we learned TO ride the
bicycle. The League of American
Wheelmen, with membership which
has grown beyond the hundred thousand
mark, is generally acknowledged as the
most potent factor in the promotion of
good roads sentiment. Since 1892, tho
League has maintained the Good
Road Magazine which has been
merged more recently into the L. 4.
w. Bulletin and Good Roads, lis
weekly official organ The L. A. W.
sends its emissa-ies to good roads con
MENTIONS and to the more important
farmer gatherings, and the highway
laws of n number of States have been
improved through its efforts. Its latest
undertaking is the printing d q million
illustrated good roads pamphlets. and
| their circulation, by mail, among
| farmers, whose addresses are being
gathered by the thousands of l.. a.
W. officials. The first three hundred
thousand of these pamphlets have
! already been printed and mailed.
i The losses from bad roads in the
| United States are enormous. The U.
i S. Office of Road Inquiry explains that
our average road of corps weighs prac-
tically ton, while in Europe it is up
wards Of four tons, and often six tons.
John NJ. Stahl, editor of the Farmers
Call, estimates that the annual cost OF
wagon transportation of the country IS
5000, 900, eco, of which $500, Utl0, COO
might be saved. Gen. Roy Stone, Chief
of the Road Inquiry Office. has verified
this by careful computations, and re-
ports that the total haulage on the
public ronds each year is 3l3, 3i9, ~
tons, costing S946, Ala, G6o.0 which
constitutes over one.third Of the total
value of farm products. He states that
nearly two-thirds of this cost is due TO
bad roads.
The average farmer resents any inter-
ference with his road building methods,
which he considers peculiarly his own
affair. No reform, therefore. can be
forced upon him, aud any successful
plan of road Improvement must leave u
, optional with him to avail himself OF
! its provisions. The initiative must be
loft in his hands. The State aid system
, seems to have solved the problem TO
/: the farmers satisfaction. This system
: has been adopted in several States, but
is most successfully in operation IN
(; New Jersey, where it was introduced
through the combined efforts Of the
| League of American Wheelmen and tho
leaders among the farmers. This sys-
tenn divides the cost of road improve
D ment between the State, the county,
2 and the abutting property owners. I'm
. provements are made only upon potl.
n ton from the latter. The feature OF
e the State aid system which appeals
t most strongly to farmers is the fact
y that city taxpayers, large property
holders and wealthy corporations are
g made to contribute to the cost of i'm
proved country roads, through the take;
and license fees now paid into the
State treasury. The Farmers Nationa
Q Congress. the most powerful agricul
u tural body in the United States, passed
II resolutions last December strongly en-
, dorsing State aid as the solution OF th'
good roads problem. and commendin.
: the efforts of the League of America
n Wheelmen TO bring about its genera
introduction. The National Road Par
lament consisting almost entirely @
farmers. passed similar resolutions u
its last annual meeting.