The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-06-03
IMPORTANCE OF
LEVEL HIGHWAYS
THE GREAT sHILL TAX, PAID
By FARMERS
A Striking Illustration of the Pow.
er Required to Haul Given Load
on Various Grades-Money Wasted
on Poor Roads.

The commissioners of Kitsap coun-
ty seem to appreciate the great
commercial value of good roads.
They have lately purchased three
new road graders, and will expend
much money the coming season in
improving the old public highways
and opening new ones to develop diff
ferent districts. The machines will
also be used in grading the streets of
Bremerton and other towns in the
county. Farmers and business men
are rejoicing over the coming of
better era in commercial advance
ment and the papers of the county
are doing everything in their power
to aid the good work. The Port Or
chard Independent lately printed
striking illustration of the power re-
quired to haul given load over vari-
GUS grades. The ISLANDER is in
debted to the Independent for the
use of the cut and the following arti-
Gle published in connection with it:
1.-The sketch is reproduced from
government road report, and graph
ically illustrates why it is that rail-
road companies spend such enormous
sums Of money in securing the rear
est approach to level grade that is
possible under the conditions pre-
sented. Mr.. James J. Hill, who is
now acknowledged to be one of the
greatest railroad builders and man.
ayers this country has ever pro-
duced, has always been stickler for
low grades on all his lines of road.
So insistent was he upon the matter
that he was long known as a crank
on the subject of grades. Of late
years, however, managers of other
lines of railway which have come in
competition with Mr.. Hills lines,
have realized the great advantage
which his low grades gave him when
the cost per mile of hauling freight
was considered, and as result mil
lions of dollars have been spent in re-
ducing grades on such competing
roads.
"What is true of railroads is true
Of public highways. AS will be seen
from the sketch, what one, horse can
pull on a level, requires two horses to
draw when a hill rising two feet in
100 feet is reached; requires three
horses to draw when a hill rising four
feet in 100 feet is reached; four horses
when a rise of six feet in 100 is en-
countered, and six horses when hill
rising ten feet in 100 is reached. The
enormous excess of cost of hauling
over hill roads compared with roads
built on a level, is, therefore, ap-
parent.
Several years ago General Roy
Stone, connected with the govern
ment service, speaking of what he
called the hill tax, said: The people
have paid this tax for 100 years, and
yet they wonder why they are poor.
'sThe thing to do is evident. When
ever possible build level roads. =
In an editorial on good roads, in
which special reference was made to
the interest manifested in Kitsap
county, the Post -Intelligencer said
few days ago:
cit is estimated that it costs the
farmers of the United States $82, ,OOO,-
600 more every year to haul their
products to the transportation lines
than the whole expense Of operating
the entire railway systems. The fig-
ures are given by the new York TIL
bune, and may be considered as ap-
proximately correct. They repre-
sent an immense sum of money and
make an interesting subject for the
consideration of every one, whether
in the list Of producers or consumers.
That money is taken from the farm
and added to the cost Of products
used by the purchasers in cities and
towns Of the country. Il the money
wasted on poor roads were properly
expended, the country would take on
an air Of prosperity never before
Witnessed in history.