Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-07-18
COUNTY ROADS vs.. RAILROADS.

COUNTY ROADS VS.. RAILROADS.
| One thousand, five hundred automo-
biles pass through the "Hole-in-the-
WaI' at South Amboy by actual
count Saturday between Z a. m. and
6 p. N. 1t is probable as many more
passed through again Sunday. The
count is made easily enough because
the Pennsylvania Railroad Company,
which controls the new short cut fol-
lowing the trolley tracks, has closed
that road temporarily, pending re-
pairs, and all traffic must use the
"Hole-in-the-Wall." There is room
for but one machine to pass through
at a time and owing to a bad curve
at one end of the Hole" a watch
man is stationed to warn those ap-
preaching whether or not the pas
sageway is clear. 1t was this watch
man who made the count, and a re
markable showing it is.
1t has been figured out that this is
at the rate OF 1875 machines an hour
or two automobiles every minute. In
commenting on this the EVENING
NfL,pySy COrrp Arrhoy corracpOndapr
who got the figures from the watch
man, remarks that even the steel
rails of the steam railroads would
not long endure such traffic and the
wonder is, not so much that the
county roads are in bad condition
but hat they are ~passable at all. We
hear a great deal of complaint about
macadam roads, but what can be eX-
pected under the circumstances? We
do not believe it is the material of
which the roads are constructed half
as much as it is the attention given
the roads and the intelligence eX-
ercised in their repair.
The railroads, with which traffic
on the county highways has already
been compared, have all their lines
divided into sections with a gang of
men for each section constantly at
work keeping the road bed in CON
dition. PAis work is not only re-
ceiving constant attention, but 1t is
done with the greatest care and skill
that the running of cars may be as
safe and as smooth as possible.
What, then, can We say of the coun-
ty roads with automobiles running
over them at a ate Of from thirty
to forty every minute? After a road
is built it is practically let alone, as
far as attention from county author
tiles go, until it is so badly worn
that it Is practically beyond
and needs rebuildi~
railroad comsa15a1 rs
ROAD bed IN the same way, how many
accidents would there be? Perhaps
hers4s t5esecTet Of SO many auto
mobile accidents.
But If an attempt IS made to re-
pair the county roads, usually the
only thing done Is to dump a few
shovels full of crushed stone into the
holes which only makes the roads
the more dangerous.
This comparison between railroads
and county roads is something new,
but with two automobiles q minute
travelling over a single highway, the
comparison Is not out of the way.
If railroads find 1t necessary to keep
section gangs at work on the road
bed every day, how much more, then,
should it be necessary for the coun-
ty to do the. same thing. Of course
this would be expensive, but in the
long run we do not believe it would
cost any more than the present ex-
pensive system of rebuilding whole
stretches at a time-and the roads
would be In first class shape at all
times.
This brings us back to the ques-
ton of automobile licenses again.
1t is safe to say that of the 1900 au-
tomObiles that passes through the
'Hole-in-the-wall" at the south end
of the Amboy bridge, two-thirds Of
them were owned by non-restdents.
Yet there are some people who would
let them wear out our roads without
having a cent toward their main
tenance In the light of the figures
here presented, they ought to pay
more, if anything. There is no doubt
hat New Jersey highways are get
~