Evening journal., 1913-02-10


faith. Nothing in the law required that
the deposited sum should be returned TO
the man who got a franchise if he did
not build his road within the stipulated
time. II consequently happens that J.
Edward Addicks and two other franchise
applicants who have not "made good
have contributed to the treasury from
$4,000 TO $4,000 each as forfeit
To look at General dupont's proposal
for moment not as a gift but as a busi
ness transaction the fact would be that
he is the first applicant to offer to pay
any return TO the State for a franchise
The Right Kind Of Road.
It was to be the acme of road making
For the donor was an experienced engi-
neer. and instead of following spccfca-
tions made by politicians to favor
friends, he could himself, as engineer
draw up specifications which were Just
TO himself. as the man who paid the bills
Apparently il would mark n step in
building highways Of more substantial
and durable quality even than is repre-
sentcd by the Massachusetts, standard.
admirable as that is held TO be- If he
succeeded in providing a road the main
tcnance of which should be inexpensive
as compared 10 the ordinary macadam
construction. the benefits would spread
beyond Delaware.
Here, briefly, was the layout Of the
| boulevard;
Width, 200 feet: length, l0l miles.
From side TO side there was 10 be
1. A sidewalk wherever required.
. A dirt road for horses.
3. A road for heavy hauling, south
bound
! 4. A southbound electric railway.
/ 3. An automobile road for high speed
ing.
G. A northbound electric railway.
T. Road for heavy hauling, north
bound.
s. Dirt road.
! .. Sidewalk
Under surface and above surface was
TO be available for wires pipes. and CON
duits for the transmission of electric
/ light. power, heat, oil, water, and for
telefonic and telegraphc lines.
Sewers, pipes, etc. underground would
be laid beneath the dirt road. so that the
paved ways would not need to be torn
mp for repairs.
All was tentative, except that the
thirty-loot middle roadway was guaran-
teed, and that the traction road, if there
should be one. would not be a steam
railway. For instance, in England motor
busses are now in many places supplant-
ing cars operating on rails. Accommo.
dation was provided for other publ,
utilities, but IT could not be prophesed
whether or when they would be availed
Of.
About the Side Strip.
It was complained that there would b,
an cighty-five foot strip of land eithei
side OF the thirty-foot guaranteed motoi
{ roadway which General DUPONT could d,
as he pleased with, so long as it was il
the public service Beyond the tentative
designs he conceived other features On
of them is the foundation of several ag
rcultural experimental stations, il
charge of trained men. AT these expert
mental stations il is proposed 20 worl
out the special problems of each sectio
of the State and thus be able to advis
, the farmers in such a way as to increas
their earning capacity Some of the ex
: ira space within the 200-foot strip NIGH
be cultivated till wanted for utilities
and the project included buying adioir
, ing acreage for experimental farming
! Privilege was reserved also for buildin
power and transmission stations alon
the route.
g 1t was asked of abutting landowner
3 that they donate the 20O-foot strip o
account of the benefits the improvement
would yield to their property If the
wouldn't, it was requested that in fxin
g price upon what was needed the
should regard the increased value tn
roadway would contribute to their prop
erty.
Benefaction, OF Outrage?
Controversy ragged. Public meeting
and village store conventions called th
project everything from henefactio
to an outrage. Here and there the sur
p yey would run thru a prosperous orchar
or vineyard. If one had spent year
! bringing an orchard or vineyard I
frution. TO cut a 200 foot strip out q
that property would be TO cut out
large proportion of the reward for one
: labor every year from the yield of thos
: trees and vines; for, be it remembered
every 200 linear feet of such widt
would mean the sacrifice of PRACTICAL
, an acre of ones producing farm. Dam
age in such case would be difficult q
. measurement On the other hand, wheT
4 the road gave better access to marke
and improved instead of niuring proI
, erty. the owner would still object [
reckoning in the improved values
One great orchardist. Mr.. Soper, spok
: for the larger aspects of the situation
q and the collective value of the road, sa,
n ing;
. ''lf we had a good road to Wyomin,
: look what it would do for us. II tax,
a four mule teams to haul 200 bushels ,
apples to the railroad for shipment.
4 we had a good stone road we could do
. with one pair of mules.
i "The same thing applies to every on
+, else. Everybody has the same right
I. good roads as ! do; every one has u
4 benefit Of the same soil. the same raj
: the same sunshine; and the good roa
i would save every other fellow the san
- amount in expense of hauling'as it wou
I me, and advance the other fellows bus
r ness interests and property values ju
r. the same, so | am speaking for no mn
# tive that does not include the other fo
! low as much as myself
r, "Here we are. right at the very doc
. of the best markets in the country, an
= right at the piers to export our appl
y to every big market on the globe. Don
- you see what II means for us If tran
p. portation facilities are increasedl Tai
!, the western grower, it costs him, 81
I. fifty cents to put bushel of apples
r. Philadelphia. It costs us five. Got ar
/, idea what it means TO Delaware, tn
40 profit over our western competitor
~ forty-fve cents bushel on freig
.. aloneg See the possibilities for the II
ar of motor trucks by farmers and fru
N growers of Delaware from one end of q
fo State to the other"
"a The Actual Cost Of the Road.
o. Still the opposition seemed 70 increa'