and a thing not altogether unknown, for a town, by it& 

 neglect, practically to nullify, in a great degree, the lib- 

 eral and intelligent expenditure of neighboring towns. 

 The worst part of a road, like the weakest link of a chain, 

 compels one to adapt his load to that particular locality ; 

 and, since the conclusions of practical scientific engineers 

 inform us that the amount of tractive force necessary to 

 draw a load of' a certain weight over a level surface, newly 

 covered with gravel of four to six inches in depth, is six 

 times as great as that required to draw the same upon a 

 road of broken stone in good condition, we may clearly 

 see how one town may, by the bid condition of its roads, 

 be the means of laying a heavy tax upon all who team 

 through it. An enlarged area of authority would cer- 

 tainly tend to relieve this troublesome lack of uniformity. 

 It would also aid in giving to each town its just propor- 

 tion of the burden of repairs — a burden which a; present, 

 for at least two reasons, is very unequally borne. One 

 part of this inequality lies in the fact that the material 

 for making good roads is much less easily obtained in 

 some localities than in others ; another, that the amount 

 of "through travel" varies greatly in various towns. 

 This kind of travel seldom brings any benefit to the town 

 through which it passes, while, if it be that of heavily 

 loaded teams, as it often is, the damage it does to the 

 main thoroughfares may equal, or even exceed, that done 

 by the citizens of the place who have to repair the roads. 

 Another consideration in favor of a larger organization 

 for road repairs, is in the greater facility with which sev- 

 eral towns might combine in the ownership or employ- 

 ment of the most improved but somewhat expensive 

 machinery, such as stone crushers and steam roller's, and 

 also in the employment of trained professional skill in 

 superintending repairs. 



