The log cabin Democrat., 1909-11-18

2 said James H. Mcdonald,
 state highway commissioner of Connecticut, at the dinner given him on the private car Signet by the members of the B. F. Yoakum good roads party at New Haven few days ago. After trip of 1,500 miles by motor car and 5000 miles by train through r states the members of the party were disposed to agree with him. They were all farmers from the great southwest-Texas, Oklahoma, Louis jana and Arkansas-and they had just Enished motor car tour of Maryland, New Jersey, New York and the New England states in search of good roads.
 This trip will have tangible and i'm mediate results. The delegation from the southwestern states returned home full of enthusiasm for good roads. They promised collectively and indi- vidually to devote their efforts to pro noting a cause for which they learned $10O,000,0 GOO already had been eXpend ed in this country, and little states like New Hampshire and Connecticut were appropriating millions of dollars With 1 in few years the southwestern states will have good roads.
 The first actual work of road in spection in company with state en- gneers was in New Jersey where the farmers found roads ranging in cost from $3,500 to $29000 a mile They travelled over roads made entirely of gravel and crushed by heavy steam rollers They found these roads good for wagon traffic, but that heavy motor service wore them out The average bitumen road over which they passed cost from 5000 to $7,00O a mile, and furnished very satisfactory service for both motor and wagon traffic They had been laid down in quite a lot of different ways ranging from 9 per cent. asphaltum. 9 per cent. tar and the rest in gravel and sand up to a very high percentage of asphalt The l New Jersey engineers recommended the lower percentage of asphaltum, as they do not get slippery in hot or rainy weather.
 l vestigating committee of southwestern farmers was New Hampshire They were welcomed at Laconia by Gov Henry B. Quinby, who told them that the state had appropriated $17, 900 GOO | for good roads at the last session of | the legislature; and then proceeded over parts of the three great trunk | ,,,hi the state, in company with A. w. | Dean, state engineer, and his assist ants.
 They found the macadam roads in Massachusetts, and later in New York, in which the upper course is mixed with tar, costing from $S,000 to S9.O00 per mile. This combination | makes an extremely sound road for both wagon and motor traffic. It is customary to oil the surface of these roads from time to time in the spring and fall As cold weather comes on they cease this oiling. as extreme cold is apt to produce.a bad surface under heavy traffic conditions.
 At the conclusion of their first day | in Massachusetts the party lenuereu dinner in Boston to Lieut.. Gov. Froth ingham. Among those present was w. E. McClintock. chairman of the Chelsea board of control, who haC been for 15 years previous connected with the Massachusetts state highway commission, ard for 12 years of thar time chairman of that body. He spoke enthusiastically upon the subject O. good roads and said in part:
 know of averal instances where the highways have been so improved that where it formerly took two horse. all day to haul one ton it now take! one horse only half a day to haul two tons. You can figure out the percent aga of profit for yourselves. The loac
 on improved roads has increased 2
 to 50 and 75 per cent, and the horse
 power is reduced.
 Farmers and state granges are en
 thusiastic adv ocates of the good road
 movement iR this state and recon