The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1905-11-24

and unloading should each occupy
the time the team would take o
travel two miles, a constant of four
miles should. be added to the length
of each of the roads, and the diff
ence between the lengths of the two
roads divided by the corrected
lengths would indicate the perceL-
tage of saving to be allowed for diff
ference in distance.
VIZ have DOW arrived at the esti-
mated saving, but the more difficult
task is to estimate the cost Of the
proposed Improvements.
These depend SO much upon To-
cal conditions that the figures which
follow must be TAKE n for mere illus
traiione. The work of improving
may be divided into three classes:
Grading, Drainage and S~urfacing.
The first two are or should be the
same whether gravel or Macadam
is to be used and I will estimate
these for illustration at $500 per
mile. This may appear high, but
1 am assuming that an effort is to
be made to redute the maximum
grades, in which case this amount
r even much more may be profta-
bly, expended.
The cost of grave and Macadam
will also be found to vary greatly
according to localities, and such an
astonishing diff renee in Macadam
in different states that I am almost
afraid to use figures over for illus
tration. Rhode Island reports the
cost at about $500 per mile, while
the latest bulletin from New York
gives the average cost of tie 700
miles of Macadam read built since
the agitation for good roads began.
at $4,000. oo per mile.
In our own state the impression
among our read builders seems te
be that it is costing much less, and
I believe it is, for the reason tha1
with US Macadam has yet onlybeer
resorted to wien rock in places il
abundant and wagon haul short
besides which our basaltic or tral
read yields readily to treatment
blasting easily into sizes fit for thu
%crusher, and friable enough to PAS
, rapidly through the latter. In fac
. in some quarries recently developed
l in Marion county, large pe-cen
> taee of the rock of suitable siz
s could be pro6tably screened befor
f, crushing, thus reducing the cos
largely.
l will assume therefore the cos
: of the gravel road to be IS cent
= PER cube yard for 1850 cubic yard
. per mile, or $1152.5O per mile, AM
e Macadam to be $4,000 o per mile
J, making the cost of gradirg g, drain
r sge and gravel for the ten mile
SIC, 625, and for Macadam $500
70 1t will readily be seen therefore tina
n if the cost be spread over a term {
ten years as by the Tuttle law, O
s over a still longer period by an is
sue of bonds nearly all of our road
1t of greater use can be permanent
e improved in a manner that will nc
IS be so heavy a burden as the preser
'r cost of trying to keep u roads i
,e repair, as the cost will be more tina
70 met by the actual saving in cost
20 moving commodities over them.
I knowethat many will say th'
the farmer does the hauling himse
of aid it costs only his time, but tn
ee I fallacy. Most of the hauling |
ts ", asst do now when the reads a
II p* ssible, when he should be al OF!
ne r. work, leaving his hauling to
a. j ne when he cannot do the wor'
er nr when conditions are such that
lie r'n realize the highest price for b
,g !, oduce because his road is good
a the time, leaving the lower price
rp harvest time for his more unfortu
It. ate brother who has no improv'
'rt road.