342 The Rifjht Hon. Sir John H. A. MardonaM [Feb. 16, 



But if we can clothe the road with a compressible and elastic skin, 

 which will yield and recover, then the main crnst may last efficiently 

 for an indefinite period, and the road be less unkind than it often is 

 to persons and vehicles. 



To fulfil these ideas of providing a partially elastic carpet, or 

 topping, as the road surveyors are in the habit of calling it, which 

 will carry out the silencing of the rolling noise of vehicles and re- 

 ducing shock, our engineers at the Road Board have already decided 

 on experimental roads which will consist of a strong road crust in- 

 tended to carry the weight of the traffic, and on this to superpose tlie 

 renewable carpet, and for this purpose Colonel Crompton has kindly 

 prepai'ed for me a number of specimens of road crust showing the 

 arrangement proposed. These are on the table. I would hand them 

 round but they are rather heavy. (Specimens shown.) 



For the carpet or topping the case is somewhat different from the 

 crust. Here strength is not of so much importance as the elastic and 

 silencing qualities, and the freedom from liability to produce any 

 dust in summer or mud in winter. Another requirement which is 

 very difficult to meet in this transition age is that of giving a surface 

 good for motor and mechanical transport, and which will not be 

 slippery, and will afford good foot-hold for horses. 



llie specimens before you show these qualities in various degrees. 

 The carpet must be a compromise ; it must not be as hard as motor- 

 ists would wish for, but just so hard that it will wear a little and yet 

 be cheap and easy to maintain. Our engineers tell us that this ideal 

 road of the future need not be a costly one. On the contrary, that 

 once the matter is thoroughly understood, and the road men trained 

 to the new methods, the rapidly increasing traffic of the time before 

 us will be carried with little or no increase in the cost of maintenance, 

 and probably in some cases with a decrease. 



To Colonel Crompton and to Mr. Maybury of Kent, Mr. Hooley 

 of Nottingham, and Mr. Wood of Fulliam, I am indebted for much 

 useful aid in preparing this Discourse, and I am also thankful to 

 Mr. Aitken of Fife for his complete "Treatise on Roads," and to Mr. 

 Edwin Pratt for his recently published work on" Inland Transports," 

 from both of which I have derived much assistance in regard to past 

 history. Mr. Lyon Thompson — son of my late friend, Mr. Thompson, 

 the first user of solid rubber tyres, and the inventor of the first 

 pneumatic tyre— has given me mucii valuable assistance. 



Ladies and Gentlemen, I trust the Discourse has been like a good 

 road, neither dry-as-dust nor water-logged. I thank you for your 

 patience, and ask to be allowed to express the hope and to make the 

 request thai you will take an interest in road improvement, which 

 will not only add to your own comfort, but will tend to increased 

 commercial prosperity, to greater efficiency of land defence, and last, 

 but not least, will be a powerful agent in improving sanitary condi- 

 tions, particularly in the towns. May our future roads be in true 



