The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1915-04-09

RUAD IMPROVEMENT
QUESTION DISCUSSED
Nez Perce County Engineer E.
M. Booth recently received letter
from G.. w. Brammer in which Mr..
Brammer asked for some specific
data relative to road improvement,
how the amount of improvement
for each road should be determined
and why the proposed improvement
should appeal to the farmers of the
county as an economical PROPOSE
tion. Mr.. Booth has presented
number of reasons why the roads
should be improved, but perhaps
the most salient argument isSthat
railroads are continually expending
large sums to reduce grades and
improve their roads for the specific
purpose of reducing the operating
expenses over their roads. Mr..
Booth argues the railroads would
not make these expenditures if it
was not business proposition and
if it is a business proposition for
the railroad, it is also business
proposition for the farmers to re-
duce their hauling expense as much
as possible.
The following is the text of the
letter sent to Mr.. Brammer by
County Engineer Booth in response
to the inquiries received:
"In answer to your recent letter
relative to the economy of spending
large amounts of money simply to
reduce the grades on the public
highways, l wish to submit the fol-
lowing argument:
"The railroads in this country
have spent and are spending mil
lions of dollars in their efforts to
reduce the tonnage cost of hauling
freight. The principal means of
cutting this cost is in the reduction
of their grades and in Strengthening
the alignment and although the
saving may amount to only few
mills on each ton of freight, the
railroads have found it good bust
ness to spend this money for this
slight savingA
, eff the railroads find it economy
to reduce their grades and in many
, instances at an enormous cost pei
! mile, surely the same Fundamental
principal would apply to highways.
Statistics compiled by the de
5 partment of agriculture show that OF
unin proved roads in mountain dis
, tricts, the ton-mile cost ranges from
| 23 to 81 cents, while the ton-mil'
cost on improved roads in the SAM
S districts will average about Is cent
: or probable saving of approx
mately so per cent.
Numerous formulas have beel
: devised for the computation of tn
i horse power necessary to move ;
!. certain load over different percent
! age grades and the following give
e an idea of the results of these com
y putations:
|. Condition of roadbed being {
~ quail, one horse will move the sam
! load on a level road that thre
horses will move on a a per Ger
u grade or six horses on 10 per Ger
> > grade. Apparently the problem c
e economy in grade reduction simpl
:. " fes itself to determining what e.
y pense per mile would be warrante
% for a given road. The first que
, tion to determine is what will
- the average tonnage per day owe
10 the road; second, what will be tn
cost of reducing the maximum gr
ie N dient to one that will conform wit
'e - the economical requirements of IL
- class of traffic this road will
j., subjected to.
It. "The following table, copit
e. from a recent issue of the Annals
ay may be of interest in solving Il
ed road problem. This table is We
he conservative, as it is based on
saving of only 5 cents per ton-mi
on an improved road as compar
with one that is unimproved:
Average Total Amt Capitaliz
la tonnage saved per year at 5 p
ay per day. of 800 days. Gel
so 5 tons S IS 81,
% 10 tons l5O 80