Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-07-10

NhhhoM COA bEAiIA'
stock. It Is also the pleasurable drive
for the rural resident as the boulevard
is for those who live in the city. These
highways should be built in such a
manner as to be hard and smooth all
the year round.
"This of course, would be magnifi-
cent work, but it would be labor
thrown away with the present style Of
vehicle in use. You might just as well
expect to keep a brussels carpet in
good repair under hobnalled shoes as
to keep good roads in condition under
narrow tires. Loaded wagons with
narrow tires would cut up the best dirt
roads that could be built faster than
they could be repaired with all the
force in the country. 1t Is simply non
sense to talk of having good country
roads as long as the narrow tires are
used"
"How could this be remediedY'
t'Nothing short of legislative enact
ment looking toward the abollshmcnt
of narrow tires on all vehicles intended
for freighting purposes would bring
about the change. And without that
change, as | have said, the building OF
good roads will continue to be n farce.
Look Mt all the labor expended by
farmers on road work. What does 1t
amount to? Positively nothing. In
most cases the roads are the worse for
it. Dirt is thrown up from the borders
of the highway into its center where
1t lies in a big, soft drift.
"Then come the narrow tired wagons
and cut into this unpacked mass as a
knife cuts into soft cheese. The re-
suit is easily to be seen-ridges and
ruts and gullies everywhere along the
highway that, had these vehicles been
fitted with wide tires, might have been
packed firm and level
ut Is not to be supposed that all the
wheels of all the wagons of the cOun-
try could be changed at once from mar
row to broad tires. That would be an
act so costly as to make 1t impossible
of fulflIment without the backing Of
bayonets Between the enactment Of
legislation looking toward the abolish
ment of narrow tires and the day set
for its final enforcement there should
be time enough for a gradual change
In the manufacture of the vehicles and
also to give the owners of single yehi-
cles an opportunity to remedy the de-
feet IN them.
"The average life of n farm wagon ID
estimated at five years. A bill that
should make it n misdcmcanOr to drive
upon any public highway with a mar
row tired vehicle five years after the
enactment of the law would work no
harm to any one. 1t would result in u
complete change from the narrow to
the wide tire on all vehicles intended
for carrying weight and make the
building and maintaining Of good
roads practical proposition.
There would seem to be no good rea-
son why the wheels OF one wagon man
ufacturer could not be made to fit
those of all wagons. If this were the
case, when the date came for the abOl-
ishment Of all narrow tires the few
who still had wagons furnished with
that kind of tire would have only to
purchase new set of wheels to com
ply with the law.
"As to the benefits Of the wide tire
over the narrow tire, discussion on
that point is needless. Every one who
ever gave the subject n moments
thought is convinced of the great SUI
periority of the wide tire. Only set
tied habit and the trouble and expense
necessary have put forward the change.
"It needs only a simple bit Of legisla-
ton to sweep away this narrow tire,
the greatest menace to good roads.
With wide tires in universal use the
work of improvement in the roads
could go forward with practical re-
suts. But unless there IS something
done to bring about that change oil
other plans for the improvement of our
country highways must fail"