Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-05-26
COUNTRY HIGHWAYS.
ECONOMY or GOOD ROADS GENGR-
ALLY RECOGNIZED.

eurers- af thc Movement inaugural
ed Is NhreIrucn - F.rn--s Now
Recognize tac Nz.ss CT iHFToNed
Highways.
Wheelmen must be credited with the
first organized movement for the inn
movement Of our rural highways II
must H. admitted that they wanted bet
tel roads that their cycling trips might
be rcrdc.od more lleasurable, Int II
mast also be acknowledged that IN
qualifying their arguments for their
pSTpOscs they have found one Of The
basic rules Il domestic economy.
They Started with the idea in view
Of having cur country Highways i'm
proved 80 that trip awbeel would not
entail a scramble through ruts. mud
rocks. uneven and poorly drained sur
faces and generally urridable thorough
fares. They will end 10y proving 10 the
satisfaction Of farmers that first class
| HIGHWAYS mean vastly increased loads
/ hauling at all seasons of the year saw
ing of time and all at n positive saving
Of cash outlay.
In these states the most bitter and the
most bigoted opposition 10 highway i'm
provemcnt was encountered. This OPP
pusitiun mt first was 80 obstinate and so
well organized as 10 seem inyulnorable.
/ Int the Uheelmen. with characteristic
energy. continued their unccasing agi-
/ tation. until the defense began TO
weaken. Later some Of their strongest
oppononts became convinced that the
/ bicycle riders were right in their claim
that first class highways are public
necessity. not to gay blessing. Once
| convinced, they came over To the side
of the whcolmen, and now the bicycle
riders and farmers are working IN the
most absolute harmony.
The wheelmen are convincing the
farmers that. though bicycle riders are
benefited by better roads, the farmers
are also sharers in the profit and that
all classes Hre interested in ridable
highways.
This has been accomplished by dem
onstrating TO the farmers that paved
/ highways are economical i'll actual AN
nual cash OUTLAWS for road building
Heretofore it has been the general Gus
! tom for counties and townships to APP
propriate certain amount each year
for road building. which was worse
than farce. The money SO appropri-
ated was used principally IN paying
salaries Of overseers. who directed the
dumping here and there of load of
L. l,,1
this out and left the road in its previous
condition. When the money was ex-
pended for the building of new road,
j. was spent in cutting Il ditch on either
eide of the proposed road. heaping the
earth so secured upon the center and
turning teams loose on 1t. the road be-
Ing called completed.
In either case of building or repairs
tie money was absolutely lest, for il
all had To be done over again upon the
coming Of the next year. 1t is this sys
tenn of waste that the wheclntn have
sought and are now seeking with the aid
OF the farmers association, to change.
That it can be done they are prepared
to demonstrate. They refer particularly
tC the work accomplished in New Jer-
sey. Massachusetts,. Pennsy lvania and
Connecticut where the farmers who
have had their highways improved
would not return to their previous con
dition for double the outlay.
The dirt roads. as ordinarily built.
are almost impossible fully half the
year. In winter and spring they are hub
deep in mud. and riding or driving over
them is next to an impossiblhty, In
summer they are nothing but dust sew
eral inches deep, and almost as bad for
use as in the raining months, Every one
using u country dirt road knows this.
and no one any better than the farmers
To haul agricultural products over
such roads is what farmers in nearly
every state in the union are compelled
to do, and each time they do 1t they
are being taught a lesson, which has
but recently been needed. This lesson is
one of finances 1t shows that every
time farmer hauls anything over such
Il road he has to reduce his load from
one fifth to one-half his wagon carrying
capacity. 1t shows him that he is losing
from one-half to four hfths Of his time
and his breakdowns and repairs teach
him that u dirt road is expensive al
most to the point of luxury every time
he uses it.
To overcome this unnecessary outlay
and make the use Of cur highways more
comfortable 1t is proposed that they be
built systematically upon scientific
principles. To this end students of the
subject have devised what is known as
state Aid to Highway improvement. -
asystem by which nearly all the burden
of building is taken from the shoulders
Of the property owners rs individuals
Under this system, as outlined in a
J law passed by the last legislature of the
state of New York, the state pays SO
, per cent of the total cost the county SO
J per cent and the property owners on
either side of the improved highway
sacn rs per cent.
1t has been estimated that a mile of
macadam or telford road costs on an
average from s., 900 to SO. 900. Ii will
be seen from this that the cost per mile
to the property owner at the larger hg-
ure is only sees. AT this rate. if a
farmer owns II full mile frontage (Which
implies II very large farm and conse-
quently much hauling) the original cost
will be saved in Il very few weeks in re-
pairs, saving of time and increased
loads. The proportions hold the same in
. farms of all sizes, the cost and saving
being apport!oned. The taxation ON the
county for its share of the cost is like
wise insignificant in comnarisnn with