Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-01-06


along stretches OF impossible thor
oughfares which had as a basis the
sticky "gumbo" clay of the south,
burnt them to such purpose that the
clay was changed entirely In charac-
ter and then supervised the construc.
ton OF road that for hauling pur-
poses is little short OF the splendid
macadam roads OF the north and east.
"It cepsnds entirely upon the char
acter OF the country through which
the read passes" said Mr.. Humphreys
when asked what 1t all cost. "If it be
wooded 30 that fuel can be bought
for, say, $i.25 cord, the road can be
made for $500 mile. may say
that It costs from one-half to ONE
fifth as much as a macadam road
costs, and 1t IL as easily and as cheap
~ maintained.
I'm country where the people
have never gone into the building Of
good roads tina thought OF paying
$4,000 q mile seems prohibitive.
Where the experiment IL once made,
however, we all know that the people,
and especially the farmers, who usual
~ at flrst are most violently opposed
to tho undertaking, demand that tho
roa6s be constructed and are most
willing TO bear the tax"
In explaining how easily the bur
den OF taxation would DO borne, even
II tho authorities OF his county do
cided to expend half million in the
construction of a perfect system Of
high class roads. Mr.. Humphreys
saidi "If the farmer, instead Of haul
ing ak balos OF cotton with two
mules, as could DO done with ease last
winter over the burnt clay road near
0reenvilIe (ths one built as q model
by Engineer Spoon Of Director Pages
odica), could haul but two, be would
be taxed for bad road at a higher
rate than anybody was ever taxed
tor q good road, not counting tho wear
and tear on mules and wagons.
Il have seen seed cotton IN the
pens ia July which had been picked
after the rains had begun TO fall I'm
the previous winter and which had
not been hauled to the railroad where
the gin was located because the roads
were too bad 70 travel. Think OF the
tax that man was paying, and that,
too, for road he could not travelf'
Mr.. Humphreys. who has taken q
great interest I'm the splendid work
being done By Director Page and who
r. apparently thoroughly familiar
with the experiments and scientific
adYnncemsnts being made By that
scholarly road expert, named a num-
Der Of the publications issued by the
cf1ce and told OF the vast benefits the
farmers Of the country were receiving
through their distribution. he refer
red especially 10 the efficacy Of the
split log drag az a road builder and
maintainef and read letters from men
who had attained the most gratifying
results from the use OF this simple
but effective device.
Last year the 100000 niles OF poor
roads IN the United States cost vast
fortune to the farmers and incidental.
! " another b the city men, the added
cost 60 the farmers OF hauling farm
products over the wen nigh impassa
bic roads being IN the end paid By the
men who consume them
Statistics gathered from the leading
countries OF Europs prove that the
cost OF hauling over the American
roads IL far higher than In any other
country, the average IN france, Gee
many and England being ~ cents q
ton mile last rear 10 cost Of % cents