Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-22
america FAR BEHIND
IN ITS ROADS SYSTEM
Using Methods Now Which France
E5 Found Inadequate 200
Years Ago.
FAILS TO HEED EXAMPLES
Intermittent Repairs Found Expen-
siye and Inadequate, and Co-Ordi-
nation Must Be Adopted Before
u. S. Can Get Proper Highways.

WASHINGTON. July al History
surely repeats Itself in so far IA inef-
1cient highway administration is con-
cerned. Professor r. L. Morrison has
recently pointed out. Many States are
struggling to-day with the same prob
lens which engaged the attention of
the British Parliament 100 years ago
and were met and solved by the French
nearly $50 years ago 1t is very nearly
200 years since the organization OF the
famous Corps des Fonts and Chausscs.
the body OF engineers in charge OF
the reads and bridges of France. and
about 1855 the French engineer. Trasa-
guet the real originator of the broken
stone road, first proposed syscer OF
continuous maintenance He fought
with energy the old method of in
termittent repairs. and the American
highway engineers are lighting the
same battle to-day. In 1875. TresaCuet
becsme inspectorgeueral of the corps.
and the same year the "corvee," which
corresponds to our system Of work
ing out road taxes. was abolished. At
the present time. l42 years after
France put road administration or an
efficient basis. the old. inefficient cor
wee" is still USED in many places in
the United States. So little have we
prohtod by the experience of others.
CLEARING AND GRUBBING Is
BIG ITEM OF EXPENSE
When farmer removes the trees
and stumps from land in order to Gull
tivate'it he calls the operation clear
ing. The amount of this work that
has been done toots up TO an enor-
nous total. for If it is assumed that
half of the 4o0.006.000 acres now un-
der cultivation in The country were
cleared at an average cost of $40 per
acre, S2,00o.0o0.0OC have been spent in
this way. The engineer does q large
amount of similar work in preparing
the right Of way for roa6s and rail-
ways. but he is accustomed to divide
1t into Clearing" or cutting down trees
and brush. and 'CrubbfnG." or remov-
ing the stumps and roots. Although
these operations are SO old and so fire.
quently performed. there is very lit
tie printed information regarding them
probably because most persons believe
the work is too simple to require ex-
PLANTATION. 1t Is a fact. however, that
there is large difference in the cost
depending upon whether the right or
wrong methods are followed, and there
arc many methods to choose from Ac-
cordingly. an engineer who has done
a large amount OF this work, particu-
larry In the State of Washington
where the size of the trees is SO great
that 1t sometimes costs $500 an acre
TO clean OFF n right of way, has writ
ten 24o-page book entitled Clearing
and Grubbing." The author Halbert
p. Gillette. is now the editor of "Engi-
neering and Contracting" and has been
able 10 secure from mis- correspond
ents large amount of definite infor
nation, experimenting his own expert
cnce, for this book. the first on the
subject
Last fall. plans were made for a
large amount OF new road construc-
tion and the reconstruction OF many
ROADS which were pretty well worn out