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THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



A T H E A T I S E ON ROAD LEGISLATION AND JI A N A G E M E N T, 



By RicnAiiD Bayldon, Roatl Surveyor. 



London : Longman and Co. 



Roads are a fundamental provision for tlie con- 

 venience and improvement of any country, its traffic 

 and the internal employments. The public highways 

 that lead from one city to another, the roads of the 

 parish, that aftbrd access from liamlet to hamlet, 

 the cartways of the farm, that give a passage to the 

 fields, and from one division of land into another, 

 the walks of the garden, that conduct to the 

 various parts, have all been contrived for the same 

 use, and with the same object in view, being 

 spaces of ground ridden over, and trodden upon for 

 purposes of public and private utility. Without 

 tliese provisions of access, the value of distant 

 parts cannot be realized, and the mutual benefit is 

 denied, from which the social happiness of man- 

 kind derives the largest share of contribution. 

 Without intercourse, human progress would re- 

 main stationary, and become a stagnation, having 

 neither ripple nor movement. 



The formation and maintenance of public high- 

 ways have long been made a national concern, and 

 have been subjected to legislative enactments. The 

 cartways of the farm belong to the landowner and 

 the farmer, and each parochial division manages 

 the roads within its boundaries by a tax of money 

 or work, and by officers for the special purpose. 

 The great highways are placed under a wholly dif- 

 ferent jurisdiction. Being used for universal pur- 

 poses, a tax is levied in the shape of tolls, on every 

 passage over the road, which is applied, under 

 commissioners and surveyors, to the first provision 

 and to the future maintenance of the roads. As 

 in rnany similar cases of legislative and financial 

 applications, ignorance and carelessness have pro- 

 duced debts on the turnpike trusts, and the usual 

 concomitant of a very inefficient condition of the 

 roads as a public accommodation. Debt and 

 inefficiency almost ever accompany each other, 

 being the producer and the produced in a regular 

 series of connexion. 



For the purpose of removing and preventing 

 both these evils of debt and inefficiency, we have 

 now before us a treatise on road legislation and 

 management, which in our opinion evinces no 

 ordinary powers of practical discrimination, and 

 original suggestions on the subject that is treated. 

 A /°rv extensive professional experience forms the 

 ground work, which, along with a clear discern- 

 ment and an enlightened judgment, constitutes 

 the excellence of every ])rogress that is attempted 

 in any art or mixed science. In no art has it been 

 more fully displayed than in the present treatise. 

 The author's views on turnpike debts and payment 

 of arrears are truly sensible and most highly 

 honourable; he yields to none in wishing all 

 debts to be extinguished, but requests time for 

 the gradual liquidation, and the original rate of 

 interest to be wpheld. The terms proposed are 



fair and just, and strictly possible, as has been 

 proved by trusts under his own care. An atten- 

 tive perusal and consideration of this section of 

 the work is most worthy of recommendation. 



Twelve model clauses that are proposed to be 

 introduced into all new turnpike road Acts, suggest 

 the economical and proportional rates of charge 

 on vehicles of carriage weight, of which the jus- 

 tice seems undeniable. 



The author recommends the removal of toll-bars 

 from the streets of towns and from the vicinity, 

 thus avoiding the production of " Rebecca" feel- 

 ings by an accumulation of bars and gates. The 

 revenue required for the repairs of roads to be 

 raised by a uniform rate, of a wide area, over the 

 districts in which the bars are situated. This is a 

 most sound policy over the present arbitrary di- 

 visions of townships or parishes. 



The evils of lettmg road repairs by contract are 

 briefly but clearly exhibited, lumping-sum con- 

 tracts ever producing imperfect executions of work, 

 although smaller specifications, that can be mea- 

 sured and minutely inspected, are let out, as work 

 under contract, to do a certain quantity at fixed 

 prices. 



Our opinion most fully agrees that materials for 

 repairs be laid on roads during the dry weather of 

 summer, and not in winter as is usually done. In 

 the latter case the materials sink into a soft bed 

 that yields to the pressure ; in dry weather the 

 broken stones are placed on a dry bed, and set 

 or cemented into a position by using a blending 

 material, which is pressed together by a heavy 

 roller, being first treated with a watering, if no 

 showers fall to moisten and damp the mass. A 

 pretty extensive experience with ])arish and farm 

 roads gives a most unqualified assent to this prac- 

 tice. 



The road-sweeping machine is used, and the 

 saving over hand-labour to be applied in making 

 dry and clean side-paths for travellers. 



There are given in this work several tabular 

 forms of accounts, most ingeniously contrived for 

 practical use. The regulations and rules for work- 

 men on roads, by the day or in contract, are very 

 just and prudent, and prevent any quarrels or mis- 

 understandings. A most useful table is given of 

 the width and depth of road materials, of toll col- 

 lectors, weekly returns, and district men's labour 

 account, with an account of tolls received, and 

 cost of repairs, other expenses, quantity of ma- 

 terials and depth, scraping expenses, the debts 

 (increase and decrease), and the net amount. An 

 explanation is given of the tables, with a notice of 

 the statute duty due from parishes to turnjnke 

 trusts, in which a rate of money is charged on the 

 rental. 



Mr. Bayldon has displayed in a very full extent 



