The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1900-07-17
/ GOOD ROADS NOTES
Tbe Money vnlue odd ,innh Rnnhs-


WEE report Of the Maryland
Geological Survey for 1895
L auuonnces that the people OF
that State nave expended over
5000, 900 in the last ten years on then
common roads; most Of the money has
peen wasted IN continual repairing
Many OF the roads have no natura'
drainage. They are bad roads a rari
or all OF the thu be Survey Ina,
made a careful h showing tbot
1t costs the peopS MARYLAND 81.
600, 900 year me - 10 their Laul
ing over poor highway than it would
cost II they were turned into tirst-rate
roads.
This estimate supplements the in
formation collected by the Departrnent
OF Agriculture in 1895. when IL ra
celved data from over twelve hundred
equities from all over the country aud
found that the average cost of hauling
a ton load one mile was TWENTY-FIVE
cents, while the average cost in siy
European countries that possess i'm.
proved highways was almost exactly
one'third as much More than one
factor enters into the cost of hauling.
but the main reason why our farmers
pay three times as much per mile n.
European farmers pay is that thew can
maui, ON an average, only one ton over
poor dirt roads, while the European
farmer hauls from three to four tons
at load over fine highways.
No one knows the total MILEAGE of
onr common roads, but their length IN
New York State is estimated Mt 1923.
900 miles. The more important high.
ways of Massachusetts have q MILEAGE
OF 20, 500 miles. All STUDENT of hiaI.
way Improvement agree that the con.
dltlon OF most of the common roads in
America Is about that Of the English
roads, early in this century. whom
they were go bal and toll rates SO high
that the question Of improvement was
forced upon the British public. Eng.
lond had no railroads then, and if il
had not been for the wonderful de.
ve!opment OF our railroads the aues.
ton OF highway improvement would
have come to the front long ago in this
country. The people, however. are
more and more impressed every wear
with the fact that road Improvement
rs necessary 70 reduce the cost OF hauI-
ing, 10 make roads 81 for pleasure
driving, and TO save the enormous
waste OF labor now expended on bad
roads. When we fully understand
that there is no economical wav to
obtain good roads except by building
the best, our practical education will
have made a long step.
This lesson has not ,rg. l.o-. 1..,.,.- I
thoroughly. Many OF our so-called
good roads arc not the bestand, there
tore, are not economical. The men
who built them would have done bet
ter work and spent no more money if
they hod pro;ifed by the experience
Of England aud France.
Maryland has gone about the work
OF road Improvement IN q wav that
promises excellent results. The State
has recognized the fact that geological
considerations are q most important
factor IN good road making. In 1893
the General Assembly passed a bill
for the annual expenditure Of $40. 600
by the Geological Survey in the inves.
tlgation Of road construction in the
state. The first published result is
'1La 'ou pI tutusl'e report on the dis
trIbution OF the rock material required
for good road-making, on the failure
OF the improved roads TO meet the
needs Of modern traffic, chiefly owing
TO the fact that they were built with.
ont competent engineering SUPER.
vision and without care as to GRADES
and drainage, and on many other prac.
teal matters. The report will help 10
place road improvement III Maryland
on an intelligent basis It should
likewise promote the cause Of good
roads throughout the country View
York Sun.