The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-11-17
AMERICAN ROADS BEHIND THE&
TINES.
A National Highway Suggested
Communicated. ]

Fredericksburg. Vs, Nov. Is, 1900.
To The Free Lance
It marvellous fact, strange as II
may seem. that America lsgs behind in
the construction Of public roads OR
country, so progressive in all other di
rections. is OF least half a century be-
hind Europe in road buildiug. 1t Is
very hard TO estimate the vast waste of
money and time caused by the wTeiched
roads # the greater part Of these I oited
States. Take Maryland for examp'e
The State Geological Survey Bureau
has issued its report for 1899 from care
fully compiled figures; and it appear
that &C 600 coo has been spent on the
sc-called repairs and construction 81 Its
public roads during the last ten years;
yet, at present it Is estimated that the
annual loss TO the farmers Of that State.
due directly TO poor roads, for excessive
cost Of hauling on she present roads,
over what IL should cost on good roads,
is R3. 900, 900. The roads 10 Maryland
are considered good compared With
those in Virginia It Is hard for the
writer 60 estimate what the loss means
60 the farmers. We will leave il TO
them 10 solve, and then ponder over II
The u S. Department OF Agricnl'
ture in q report made q few years ago,
gave data from 200 counties in vari'
Gus States and showed the average cost
of hauling one ton one mile on ordi.
nary American dirt roads 90 be twenty
five cents That is just three times as
much as the cost Oh macadamizd roads
of six European countries II the loss
from bad roads 10 the farming inter-
est OF Maryland is 50 900 900 annually,
the loss In Virginia must be far great
er What must be the loss in the Uni'
ted States? II must be enormous. The
loss does not stop here as to the cost OF
hauling. Land adjacent to good ma
cadamizsd roads bring from 50 to IS
10 Sl5 more per acre than on poor
roads. The road laws in some Of the
counties in Virginia are not worth
the space they are allowed in
public record. Then. again, road Off
cials are sometimes only figure heads.
go to speak. The writer knows OF some
supervisors in counties Of Virginia that
never do as much as 30 60 over roads In !
their respective districts once IN five
yearsoonsequentlY they do not know
the needs Of repairs Of such roads
Such officials should resign, and men
placed in office that would, at least,
make one annual visit Of inspection
over the roads. What we nesd in our
glorious and grand country 10 nation
al road through every State in the
Union from the Pacific to the Gulf Of
Mexico,a a good macadamized road. Then
let each county put all other roads
leading to the grand pnblic highway
in condition to conform TO 1t.
Let the national government appro'
pirate. say from 800. 900. 900 to $780,
OOO, 900 for such highways. Instruct
your Congressman and Senators sll over
the Union to work and vote for such
an appropriation. They are made for
rivers and harbors whyDot make them
for roads? We never knew Of dollar
appropriated for such Improvements
except when the national government
was directly concerned. If such on
appropriation is made then we might
at least says money is being more
equally distributed for the good Of the
whole nation. Enterprise.