89 



Of course I do not pretend for a moment that per- 

 fection should not be aimed at and that our dreams 

 Jiould not run to beautiful level macadamised surfaces, 

 but I fear lhat if, as at present, our aims are too hijrh, 

 nothing will ever be accomplished, and all will remain 

 as it is. 



The th.n ry that the Mitre Law would provide 

 funds soems to-day demonstrated as theory alone. 

 With the maximum of receipts, the amount of the 

 funds scarcely covers more than sufficient to repair 

 what already exists, and every new road undertaken 

 means leaving: an old one without further attention. 

 Co-operation with the railways, alone cannot achieve 

 more than a precarious improvement: it is not possible 

 as matters stand to-day to seriously think of even 

 maintaining the roads with the surplus percentages of 

 railway earnings. 



Any attempt to load property with a straight con- 

 tribution for a macadam-surfaced road is out of the 

 question. My opinion is that the whole talk of macadam 

 for Argentine roads is "hot air" for one cannot but 

 suspect that those who talk so glibly of metalling roads, 

 do not really know what 90 per cent, of our roads are 

 like. 



One thing is evident, and this is that since metall- 

 ing our roads cannot be effected for many a year to 

 come, all talk thereof should be dropped, as it simply 

 blocks the way to real progress. Proposals similar to 

 those presented in Congress, inviting the expenditure 

 of 100 millions gold for macadamising 3000 kilome- 

 tres, only waste 'time which could be better devoted to 

 -studying something less ambitious but more practical. 



The cost of constructing one kilometre of good 

 macadam road, 12 metres wide, is caculated at approxi- 

 mately $40,000 gold ; the same as for each kilometre of 

 railway constructed (wide guage) ; if the width of the 

 road be reduced to 6 metres, which is the minimum 

 width, a road can be reduced to, economically, and the 

 cost be computed at $6 per metre square, a very low cal- 

 culation, then the cost excluding bridges, ; er kilometre, 

 is approximately $36,000 paper. In comparison, the cost 

 per kilometre of railway (narrow guage) is returned at 

 $20,000 m|n., and that of light railway (60 c.m. guage) 

 at $5,000 m|n. If the sum required for maintenance is 

 taken into consideration, then railways are considerably 

 -more economical than macadam roads as a means of 

 transport. 



The road question will not be solved, either, by ad- 



