Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-01-12
HIGHWAYS OF INDIA.
PoTeuT FACTORS ~ DiFFuslNe Ed
UcETIca.
Instrumental In breaking Down
Caste Barriers aud In Improving
Condition OF the Masse--Ee"nomf
Of Good Roads.

Instrumental In breaking Down
Ta.,. barriers aud In Improving
Condition OF the Masse--Ee""omf
Of Good Roads.
Good roads which the English have
constructed in India have perhaps done
more 10 break down the almost lnsu-
perable barriers Of caste and {" ahiel-
urate the condition Uf the MASSES than
all agencies put together.
IL cannot, uf course. be justly claim
ed that good roads are original causes
Of civilization, for II requires publlc
Intelligence TO appreciate their NaIue'
but they always promote the enllght-
eminent which builds them. They are
potent factors In dlffusing the educa-
ton which primarily created theih'
saws Professor Sylvester WaterhOuSe
Of Washington university. 81. Louis.
In the colonial days OF this country
IL sometimes took four years to send
load of peltrics from the trading post
of St Louis To England and receive IN
return Il stock of merchandise. Letters
from New York to the same point were
not infrequcntly from four TO SIX
months on the way. If these eNcep-
tional conditions, due TO scanty popu-
latiou and TO a lack of facilities for
rapid transportation over vast reaches
Of ocean AMI wilderness, had contin-
ned. the growth OF American civiiiZa-
ton would have been seriously retard'
cd. But the authorities OF this coun-
try early recognized the Importance or
good roads. Public moneys were spent
upon the construction of turnpikcs be-
fore appropriatiuns We're made for the
/ Improvement of our harbors. The pol
icy Of extending our highways and
railroads has been actively encouraged
by our sovcrnpent and vigorously car
ried out by the American people.
Good roads are always and every
/ where educational. Enlightcning com
mercc. they broaden the range and in
| crease the profits of its exchanges;
/ difiuSing Intelligence and the agencies
Of spiritual culture, they bear to all
lands the benefits Of the highest civil
cation.
The economic Importance OF good
roads has been demonstrated by star
Ting statistics II has been shown that
the traction force required 10 move
1900 pounds at speed of three miles
an hour over Il level road of iron, as
phalt. loose gravel and soft sand IS,
respectively. =, Il, 32O and AS pounds.
! From this statement ii may be easily
inferred how costly bad roads are. Iron
and asphalt are mentioned for the
sake Of comparison They could not,
OF course, he used as the constructive
materials OF country roads. But the
| difference between good and bad roads
Is so great that the team which can
draw only one ton on the former will,
according to the character OF the I'M
provement, haul from three to five
tons on the latter. 1t IS estimated that
the aggregate cost Of transportation
over public roads of the United States
Is now about $l,oO0,oo0,on a year.
This sum is largely more than one
third of the productive values of the
farms of the country. Careful calcu-
!
this cost of haulagc could be saved by
the construction of good roads. In
these computations the saving of 500,
10000 n year is limited TO the trans
portation OF farm products, but there
would hc Il corresponding economy in
the carriage to the consumers Of vast
quantities of merchandise and hard.
ware. The losses which bad roads in
flict are felt by every industrial inter
est in the United States.
The Improvement OF our highways
would be variouSly profitable. Now
farmers lose many days In the year
waiting for good weather and dry
roads. but the support Of the men and
animals e ms expensive when they are
idle as when they are engaged In
lucrative work. With good roads tho
farmers need never lose any time. In
wet weather. when they could no,
work on the land they could carry
their products To market No rains
would compel them to spend valuable
time in idlcucSs
1t takes much longer time and re-
QurcS far greater tractivc force tc
haul loads over bad roads than il
would to draw heavy loads over gooC
roads. The unnecessary strains tC
which bad roads subject teams, har
ncsscs and wagons are very wearing
. Rough usage seriously Injuries tn,
farmers equipment. Improved high
ways would prevent avoidablc depre
! citation Of property and increase tn,
gains of producers.
: 1t Is hardly worth while to build :
few good highways. Systems Of road
should be improved at the same time
: A draft wagon. light enough to be uset
on muddy roads, could not avail itsel
Of the full advantage Of rock road
The wagons used on hard roads weigl
from $500 to 5000 pounds. and the,
carry loads Of three or four tons Sucl
wagons could not he employed on sof
roads. They would sink into the mu,
and require as much force to NOV,
them as 1t would to haul their heavics
freight on gravel road. Common an,
improved roads cannot he proftahl
combined. What is fit for the one is no
suited for the other Therefore tn
main and tributary highways of an,
district should all be constructed n
once.