The Anderson daily intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1915, 1915-03-07

roads, England and Wales alone have
| 2f,154 miles OF main roads, I04,443
| miles OF county and rural roads and
! lS,474 miles of urban roads. England
and Wales have an area of 58.575
| square miles and 1851 miles OF I'M
proved highway. The United States
has an area of 3,616.4S4 square miles,
and Yet all the miles OF improved
highway in the United States total
only 190.471. The area of the whole
British Isles is 1881 square miles,
not nearly half as large as the area
OF Texas, yet they have 227,670 miles
OF improved roads.
Compared With United States.
England and Wales have about A.
600 miles of permanently paved
roads; 1850 miles of bituminous
bound roads; 10000 miles OF water
bound macadam. sprayed or tarred
l23,000 miles of ordinary water-bound
macadam, and only 1857 miles of un-
macadamized or dirt roads. The Unit
ed States has over ten times as many
miles or graded dirt road included
In its grand total, as it has macadam.
whereas only 2 per cent of the Eng
lish roads are ordinary dirt. The pro-
portion of road Improvement in little
old England, therefore, is apparently
800 times greater than i'm the United
States.
Scotland has 1000 miles of perma-
nent pavement. 800 miles of bitumi- /
-bound roads. 500 miles OF tarred
macadam 21,016 miles OF ordinary
water-bound macadam. and practical
iy no unimprOved roads except what
are known as local paths. ireland,
side from other road surfaces, has
55.2S0 miles of water-bound macadam
road
Highways I'm France.
The roads of France have long been
considered the best in the world.
| Road building begun there before the
day OF Caesars invasion. Some of
her roads have sustained the traffic
from 1000 to 1000 years. Proper
maintenance has heen had of these old
highways and the average cost has
been low.
In France farms are but small
patches OF ground, planted and culti-
waited like large gardens. Yet the
wonderful French peasant sustains
himself and family and lays aside
money to invest In American bonds.
The French peasant lives on what our
American farmer wastes and saying
is an Unborn characteristic. Nearly
all the farmers live in settlements or
villages. But few farmhouses are To-
Gated on the farm. The major part of
the crop Is consumed locally and the
surplus is light and the traffic and
haul much lighter. France is we'll
supplied with railroads, canals and
waterways and most of the heavy
hauls are made by water or rail trans
portation.
Caesar gridironed France, or Gaul
as it was then called, with an elabo-
rate system of roads. Some of these
old Roman roads were paved with
marble. But, after Ganl was coz
quered by the barbarians, the roads
were allowed to become covered with
dirt and vegetation. Louis XIV's
Prime Minister Colbert, rehabilitated
the roads of France and it is said that
Whenever the king wanted to travel
In particular section, Colbert al
ways instructed the people in advance
to ouild roads along the route to be
Travelled. Once built, he maintained
them to facilitate commerce and
trade.
A system of royal roads was estab-
lished under Louis " and during the
French Revolution were taken over
and still more extensively laid out.
Napoleon changed the system OF con-
struction expense, but continued to
build roads.
The French have a national high
way department, which. not only
builds and maintains their roads, but
its authority covers bridges, local
light railways, mainland railways,
maritime works, and inland naviga-
ton and hydraulics.
The roads are built scientifically
proper at minimum expense and are
maintained with scrupulous and un-
failing regularity. The total mileage
of the French national loads Decem-
ber 81. 1910. was $3.50 k!lometers.
1t was estimated that the government
had spent 800, 900 900 francs The
cost OF their maintenances in 1910 was
80 100000 francs, besides 1000, 900
francs for bridges. The French treas
ury furnished the funds provided by
q tax on vehicles with springs, horses.
ETC., which in 1fl0 amounted to co.
000.e00 francs license on public
conveyances. amounting 20 1900. 900:
tax on bicycles and motorcycles
brought S,500.000 francs, and the tax
on gasoline amounted to 24,000,000
francs.
France, with an area of only 207.-i
054 square miles, 10000 square miles
less than the size of Texas. has $780,
900 miles OF highly improved road
way, or iso, 600 miles greater than the
mileage of improved roads OF the en-
tire United States, roads more costly
and lasting.
Ifnly Has 500 Miles.
Ia italy there are $500 miles OF
natf5cal roads and 1880 miles of
provincial highways. National roads
are uEder supervision OF the royal