Norwich bulletin., 1913-11-18
DoINGs IN THE AUTO WORLD

I to motorists from points on Long Isl- ! and to Connecticut and Westchester, ! discontinued operations on Sunday, l Nov. ?. Another ferry discontinued for 1 the winter on Nov. ? is that which was 1 operated between Brooklyn and St. I George, Staten Island.
 Fruit growers find many advantages 1 in the motor truck over horse and l wagon transportation. They can haul their fruit farther and in less time 1 than formerly required and have 1t ar | rive at it's destination in much freSher condition than was heretofore possible. In the case of peaches and berries, or
 which the Michigan growers produce thousands of bushels annually, the commercial vehicle has worked a great economy. Both these products are delicate, losing freshness rapidly while being transported.
 With a truck in his service the grower need not haul his produce in the hot sun, being enabled to make the trip to the railroad at night. His neighbors, with horses and wagons, must leave in the afternoon to make the same distance. As a result, their produce has lost much of its freshness by the time it reaches the refrigerator cars in which it IS hauled to the vari- ous cities where it is sold. In the case of the truck owners. the fruit is trans ported at night, is in excellent condi : ton when loaded on the cars and or course brings a better price on the market. The Garford company has
 supplied trucks to number of farmers in the Michigan fruit belt.
 The professional road maker-a
 branch of civil engineering so called has not yet been recognized as he
 should be. The builder of the high
 way should rank with the architect,
 and with bridge or railway engineers,
 as master of a profession absolutely
 necessary to mankind, requiring not
 only careful training, but more than an average endowment of brains in
 the widest sense. We should all re- Spect and honor the road engineer as
 having to war against and overcome, not only the forces of road destroying man, but of road-destroying nature. MotOrcar, farm cart and traction zine each does its own particular damage, but frost thaw, rain and drought are more destructive than any Of the works of man. The best road engineers have to be meteorologists as we'll as survey
 Ors They have to be diplomatists of a high order. financierS and mathema- ticianS, labor masters and local politi- clans. And sometimes they have to act as architects, sanitary engineers and hydraulic and drainage experts. It is time that every local authority realized that the responsible head of the roads in each county and borough has in this one department enough work, and to spare; the practice of asking county or borough surveyors as they are comprehensively called. to do anything and everything which the clerk of the council is unable to do should be discouraged.-Th Car.
 If our farmers once realize the aw- ful tax that bad roads impose upon them. public opinion sternly would de- mand the making and maintaining of good roads everywhere It now costs the farmer 12, yes 20 or more times as much per ton-mile to move his goods to the railway station as it does to move them by railroad after they leave the station. The farmer indeed, in bad cases and at certain seasons, may have to pay as much as s1 tom mile, while the railroad carries the freight when it gets it at an average of three-quarter cents per ton mile.- Secretary of Commerce RedheId.
 The highway commission bill of Massachusetts regulating the use of the roads by trucks and traction en- zines. limits the weight of any motor truck or engine to 1 1 tons including the load, but special permits may be obtained from local authorities for loads of greater weight.
 In towns outside of the metropon- tan parks and sewerage districts the weight of vehicles and loads is also limited to 800 pounds per inch width of tire, and this permits the use of heavier vehicles in Boston and other cities if there is a pavement Of brick, block, sheet asphalt or concrete.
 Steam traction engines and motor trucks of over four tons must not ex- ceed a speed limit of Is miles an hour. Those carrying a weight in -@cess of six tons, including the vehicle, must not exceed the speed limit of six miles an hour, if they have steel or iron tires; 12 miles an hour if they have rubber tires. Local authorities have the power to specify particular roads and bridges that must be used when permits are granted for moving unusu- ally heavy loads
 The owner of heavy vehicles is lia- ble for damages which may be done to the road, and violations of the pro- visions of this law are punishable by fine of not more than $100 for each OffenSe