The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-02-03
L. w. Page Delivers all Address
to the Legislature.
Asserts That Saving to Farmers
Would Be Enormous.
NEED OF AN ENGINEER.
Saws That Such a State Official
Is Necessary.
Governor Stubs Asks Some
Pointed Questions.

The value of good roads was en-
phasized in an address by L. w.
Page, delivered before Governor
Stubs, the members of the house and
senate. and others interested in the
subject, in representative hall. Mr..
Page is one of the government experts
on good roads, with headquarters at
Washington, D. G.
Mr. Page declared that the con-
struction of good roads throughout
the country would make possible
saving of $25O,OO0,0OO year to the
| farmers 1.-The agricultural. forest
and similar farm products in the
United States" he said, amount to
265, 100000 tons or twenty-five per
cent of the railway haul of the coun-
try The average haul from the farm
to the shipping point is nine and
four tenths miles, and the average
cost is from % to 25 cents per ton
per mile, making a total of $572,930,-
| 600 the cost of hauling agricul-
tural products over the country roads
| of the United States.
In France, Germany and Eng
land the average cost per ton per
mile is 10 cents, and in some places
as low as cents. If we could cut
the cost of hauling agricultural pro-
two it would make the average IL u
cents per ton per mile, u cents
more than in England and other Eu-
ropean countries, and still make a
saving of more than $3.50, OOO,OOO a
I'm 1905 and 1906 ocean rates
were the highest in several. years, but
it is fact that the cost of hauling a
ton of wheat from New York to 1iV-
erpooI, 31O0 miles, was one and six
tenths cents less than it cost the far
mer to haul that same ton of wheat
from his farm nine and four-tenths
miles to the railroad station for ship
ment to New York"
Mr. Page showed that there was in
the neighborhood of two and one
half million miles of public road in
were stone roads or macadam, and
100000 miles were gravel roads.
Practically all of these improved
roads are near large cities or in pro-
gressive states.
Il have seen a recent report from
the French good roads authority"
said Mr.. Page, lin which 1t was
shown that the good roads OF France
are actually of more benefit to the
small peasants of that country than
the railroads.
year on good roads and 1T now has
10000 miles of hard rock roads. In
the United States in 1904, $50, 100000
was spent on the roads of the coun-
try, which means $500. OO0,0OO In I'M
proved roads in ten years. The 80
los, 600 miles of gravel roads have
cost America $S0O,O00,000, and we
still have close to two and one-half
million miles Of road, many miles of
which are passable only in certain
seasons of the year.
1.-THE road work of this country is
inefficient and inadequate. Pennsyl-
vania has 5000 townships and the
1T 10
road boss of that division. There are
probably 100000 of these township
road offices in the United States, each
one exercising separate authority
with no ranking head to direct them
What would a great railroad or
ganization do if each Of its section
bosses were permitted to buy all of
the material for the construction and
maintenance of his division of the
railroad?"
The building of the sand-clay roads |
at Dodge City and Garden City was
explained at some length. The sand
and clay IS mixed so thoroughly that
the particles of sand touch each |
other for a depth of eight inches |
while the clay forms matrix binding |
the sand together so that a road as |
good as macadam is the result The
sand and clay road is now in gen. |
eraI use throughout the southern |
states but this is the first experim ent |
as far north and Mr.. Page did not |
know just how the cold would anect |
the road
At the close of his address Mr.. Page
invited and answered questions re-
lating to good roads.
us it absolutely necessary that the |
state have a state engineer to carry |
out a plan for good roads in Kansas %
asked Governor Stubs.
absolutely necessary" replied Mr..
Page. 1.-THE money that is appro-
priated for good roads should be
judiciously spent or it will accom-
plish nothing. There must be some
head. Unless the money is judicious-
Iy spent it is wasted
'In other states does the good
roads engineer or the engineer of
highways have other work to do?'
was asked.
Unfortunately" replied Mr.. Page.
sin some states he has a great deal
of politics to attend to-"
would it not be possible asked
a member from western Kansas, "to
dispense with the engineer and have
the work done under the supervision
of the county surveyors of each
at would be just as sensible to APP
point an astrologer to build the good
roads as it would be to place the work