The suburban citizen., 1902-11-29

Roads Association Of New
York State This report gives Il LOT
of valuable information as to the
progress Of the good roads movement
building of 23S miles Of good roads
on the other side of Lake Ontario. II
is stated that no less than twenty coun
ties in the State have arranged for the
This year, that 100000 was raised by
the counties for this purpose, and that
all that was needful TO secure the
spending of the money this year was
the appropriation of a like amount by
the State Legislature.
There Is also given good deal Of in
formation as to the building of roads,
the upkeeping OF the same, and the
value of efficient highways to a com
munity. Repairs of stone roads, it is
said, should begin as soon as they are
opened for traffic, as the attention
the receive the first few months OF
their life determines their usefulness
and length OF life. Long experience. II
is declared, has clearly proven that
better results are obtained and at less
cost by maintaining the roadway in
good condition at all times, by sys
tenn Of continuous small repairs, rather
than by leaving it until ii is practically
worn out, and then thoroughly repair,
ing it. The cost Of repairing should
not exceed $50 per mile.
The value of the wide tire is thor.
oughly appreciated in New York. II
is worse than useless the report says.
to create expensive and valuable high
ways, and then allow them to be cut to
pieces by the use of narrow tires. II
was, therefore, recommended by the
convention that State wide tire law
be adopted which would be simple in
its requirements, positive in its en-
forcement, and that the same should
go into force within two years from
date. The value of good roads and
wide tires combined is well illustrated
by two statements set forth in the re-
port. One of these is to the effect
that a careful estimate shows that II
costs twenty-five cents to carry a ton
a mile on the ordinary roads OF tine
in letter from a man VINO mas large
brick works three miles from Syracuse,
N. Y. For twenty-five years." says
this man, IL have been hauling bricks
from my yards to the town. Within
the last few years three-quarters of the
road over which l haul has been paved.
Before the improvement of the road
the usual thing was to haul 1000 bricks
at n load-sometimes not more than
800 or 700 being taken inland two
loads made a days work in the fall.
when the roads were bad Now, on
improved roads, 1900 to 1900 bricks
are being hauled at a load, and three
loads are being delivered per day.
Wide tires" he adds, "are cheaper
than the narrow tires because the cost
of resetting is reduced by one-half and
the broad tires wear at least twice as
long. BY the improvement in roads
and the adoption of wide tires. very
near twice the quantity of brick is
hauled to-day that was hauled former.
ly, and the wear and tear has been
reduced by twenty-five per cent"
They have had the same trouble over
the statute labor system in New York
that they have had here but our neigh
bors are improving in this line as we
are here. Twenty years ago, when o
bill was introduced in the State Legis,
lature providing that everybody should
pay the statute labor tax in money
the author of that bill became the most
unpopular man in the Assembly. To.
day no less than 1870 townships. with
1000 miles of highway, have adopted
the system of committing the statute
labor tax on the basis of fifty cents on
the dollar. 1t is now proposed to go
step further and apply prison labor to
the building Of highways. 1t is pointed
out that in North Carolina, with the
help of convicts, roads macadamized to
a depth Of six to eight inches and IF.
teen to twenty feet wide, are built at
cost of S1100 to $1700 per mile, while
the same grade of roads, no better
constructed, are costing from $4,000 to
$4,000 mile In the Northern States.--
Toronto Weekly Sun.