South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-01-21
TON MILE COST
|SPROPER GUIDE
Records of First Expense and
Maintenance Should Be
Carefully Kept.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 13.-What it
costs to move a ton a mile, is the
true answer in selecting the type of
road necessary to meet the service
needs of a main artery OF commuri-
cation, according TO Chairman
George c. Dfehl OF the American
Automobile association good roads
board.
I'm order to arrive at the ton
mile cost says Mr.. Diehl, lit is es-
sential, first, TO have the total cost
Of construction and maintenance;
next, 20 have the amount of traffic
tonnage. The first cost must be the
result OF a properly kept system Of
records, and the total cost of main
tenance and construction must equal
the total outlay made by the high
way department, as this is the only
method possible TO avoid omission
of important items. The amount of
traffic must be obtained by traffic
census. This should be divided be-
tween passenger and commercial
vehicles and also between motor
driven and horse-drawn vehicles.
I'm New York state. where every
five or six miles of improved high
way is under the control of patrol
man. it would be comparatively
easy 60 obtain such traffic census, as
the patrolman could have a certain
day each month to make a count Of
these vehicles, at comparatively no
- H., Il a 81
report upon the condition of the
highway on the day that the traffic
census was taken; give the duration
of time that the highway was COW
cred with snow and it's condition
when the snow came and also after
it melted in the spring There are
many diverse conditions on the
$500 miles of state road constructed
in the state of New York.
Value of Statistics.
This traffic census could be taken
monthly in a state like New York,
and there could be developed the
approximate rate of increase, watch
could be graphically shown in a
traffic diagram. Likewise. dia-
grams could be prepared showing
the cost of moving a ton a mile over
each Of the several types of pave
ment, and with each of the several
kinds of traffic. At the expiration
of a year the statistics obtained
would be of great value, and after a
period of three or four years the re-
suits would be of incalculable value.
These figures would develop an
economic theory of highway con-
struction whereby the character and
amount of traffic and type of high
way TO be constructed could be de-
termined with a degree of eXactness
which is far from possible at pres
ent. The amount and character of
traffic in an undeveloped section
could be very largely gagged from
the territory where statistics are
available.
The statistics thus computed in
a state; or among several states, if
they would adopt uniform methods,
which would make it possible to de-
termine the efficiency of the various
highway officials, from the smallest
to the largest sub division I'M
proved methods in a single section
could be adopted in all, and the mis-
takes corrected at the least expense
and in the shortest possible time. 1t
would be merely necessary for a
division engineer to call upon the
engineer in charge and ask him to
explain why the cost was higher
than in the adjoining county, and
unless a suitable explanation was
forthcoming, a new man would be
employed in his place. But If there
was an explanation, then the cOndi-
tons spoken of could be controlled
by similar methods to those which
produced the efficient results in 9TH
er sections. Likewise, each division
engineer could be compelled to
maintain a high standard or lose his
position, and each state could profit
from the experience and abilities
manifested in other cOmmOnwealthS.
Until some such system is adopt
ed, selection of the type of road is
largely a matter of local sentiment,
a guess on the part of the highway
officials. or due to activities, credi-
BILE or otherwise, of agents OF road
building materials. While traffic
censuses have been conducted in a
somewhat limited way, il has never
been attempted to do the work sys-
tematically and completely"
CARROTS ARE ON MARKET