The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-10-16

prime requisites for a good road are:
Good alignment, good grades and good
drainage. The first money spent in the
improvement of road should be for Sc
curing these, and the county officials who
spend money for matchmaking their
roads without providing these requisites
are wasting the peoples money.
Most people instinctively recognize to
a certain extent the value OF easy grad
tents: but it is evident that many of
the officials In charge of our roads do
not know how to secure them. We often
see them attempting the almost hope
less task of eliminating heavy grade by
cutting down hill when 1t can be ac-
complished far more cheaply by relocat-
ing that part of the road. They fire.
quently start to partially cut down hill
what they will have after they get
through. Later they will take several
more bites at the hill, and after they
are done 1t costs far more than 1t would
had they had a survey and a definite
plan for the work, and all the grading
done at one time, according to the plan.
There is one county in this state where,
as 1 have been told by their engineer,
the main roads follow section lines for
miles and miles without any regard what
ever for grades. That county is now
building system of macadam roads that
in some respects may serve as models
for the rest of the state. and on some OF
these roads, after expensive grading, II
has been necessary to build macadam on
per cent grades. Macadam on such a
grade will be very expensive to maintain
and the grade will cut down the loads
that may be hauled to .29 OF what could
be hauled on the same road with the
proper grade, assuming the horse to or
dinarily exert a pull equivalent to one
IT, 1t-~1.k M r. mil
equivalent to one-fourth of his weight
on the steep grades.
The future use and economy of a roa
are so vital!v affected by the selection
of its location that this task should oH
intrusted only to a trained engtneer who
has spent several years of hts life in
training his mmc and his eye for this
III @ of work. good man Will select
for the road tho 10 alton tina. will give
the best alllg ln'ent and gra1es for the
least cost while an incompetent man
vii. fail utterly in this respect.
For an earth road the maximum grade
should be alb nut . per cent; tlat is, it
should not rise mere than live feet vei-
ticaly in 100 feet measured no -iznntaliy.
With bette, surface, as macadam. the
grade should he even less, the IL II
benefits are to be derived from the Inn
pro. ed surface.
The railroa Il, the admins ration Of
whose affairs is usually intrusted to men
tof proved business ability, -salze fully
the value of low grades that will per-
nit them to haul the maximum train
loads with the smallest possible train
crews and minimum fuel consumption.
Nearly all the great trunk lines are
spending incredible sums in improving
their alignment and reducing their
grades. In some instances these i'm
provements are being made with view
to decreasing the expense of hauling and
increasing their profits; in others for
the preservation of their very existence
they have been forced to make these i'm
prpvements by the competition of other
trunk lines more recently built upon
more boldly conceived engineering plans
that enable them to haul greater train
loads and to transport their freight and
passengers between the same terminals
in much shorter time.
I do not believe that we will ever
build our roads as they should be built
till they are in the hands OF officials
who can appreciate the value of a good
location. They must be willing to change
the location of a road wherever the
interests Of the general public demand
1t, regardless OF the fact that II may
a prominent citizen or that it may cut
through the field. of an influential poll
tician. who from selfish motives may
oppose the new location.
The time will not permit me to go
into discussion of the kinds of roads
that should be built under varying con-
ditions. Owing to the great amount of
material that must be used the cost of
transporting 1t demands that as far as
possible we use materials that NAV be
secured near at hand: and hence the
character of local materials will prob
ably have the greatest influence in de-
termining the kind of roads to build
IF the choice of materials and character
of construction is left to the county Of
ficials they can more certainly arrive
at a correct conclusion If they have
the advice of an expert, and for this
reason they should be empowered TO
call into consultation an experienced
highway engineer.
AS Senator Bankhead told you last
night all engineers are not competent
road builders. The field OF engineering
has long since become too broad for
one man to become expert In all its
branches. If you were sick and needed
the services of a physician you would
not call in veterinary surgeon. If you
want your roads built in the most effect
i've and scientific way, call in an engineer
who has had technical training and
experience in that branch of engineer
ing AMI you can best Judge of his com
potency by the character Of the roads
that he has already built
You have, during the progress of this
meeting been several times reminded
that in the last general election held
in this state the people in unmistakable
terms expressed themselves as desiring
good roads. They were so much In favor
of 1t that they by an overwhelming ma
jority voted to change the organic law
so as to provide for state aid In this
great movement.
To comply with the wishes of the peo-
pie there was a bill introduced during
the last extraordinary session of the leg
islature to establish the office of state
highway commissioner. This commits
sioner by the provisions OF the bill was
to be an experienced highway engineer
and his principal duties to advise the
road authorities OF the various counties
with reference TO the best methods and
materials to use in the Improvement of
their roads, and to supervise such state
aid that might be provided by subsequent
legislation.
BY thus giving the county authorities
the advice of an able consulting en-
gineer without any expense except his
salary paid by the state. we can insure
that each county has the advice of
competent man and II will result In
very great saving to the people In en-
cheering fees.
For reasons well known to you all
this bill was not allowed to pass and