ECOISrOMIC SUEVEYS OP COUNTY HIGHWAY IMPEOVEMENT. 51 



1,500 pounds, with an average haul of 4 miles. Estimating cost of 

 driver and 2-horse team at $3.50 per day, and that two trips were 

 made per day, it follows that the cost per ton-mile was 57 cents. 

 After the roads were improved, the average load for the whole im- 

 proved road system, comprising not only macadam roads, but graded 

 earth roads as well, was 2,500, pounds. This increase in load serves 

 to decrease the hauling cost to 35 cents per ton-mile, but on the 

 improved roads it is possible for a 2-horse team to make three trips 

 of 4 miles each per day, which still further reduces the cost to 

 about 23 cents per ton mile, a saving of 34 cents per ton mile, which, 

 applied to the entire 200,000 ton-miles, would aggregate $68,000 per 

 annum. This computation is not intended to represent an actual 

 saving of that amount of money to the people of the county, but is 

 rather intended to afford a basis for estimating the loss, of time and 

 energy on the old roads. As indicating the individual benefits of 

 lowered hauling costs, one teamster found that he would save $1,500 

 in hauling 800,000 feet of lumber, as he would be able to haul 1,200 

 feet with each two-horse team on the new roads as compared with 

 800 feet on the old roads. 



EFFECT OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT ON SCHOOLS AND SOCIAL CONDITIONS. 



The principal advantage of the improved roads has so far been to 

 facihtate travel from point to point and to better school and social 

 conditions. (See PI. XIX.) The postmaster at Big Stone Gap is 

 authority for the statement that every family on his rural delivery 

 routes has either built a new home or improved the old one since the 

 roads were finished. The sanitary conditions in the country districts 

 have improved, and many conveniences and comforts are now pro- 

 vided in farm homes which would have been considered luxuries 

 when these homes were partly isolated by the bad roads. 



The 'following information showing the relation of improved roads 

 to the schools was furnished by James N". Hillman, the superintendent 

 of schools of Wise County: 



At least 40 per cent of the school population is in what ie classed as strictly rural 

 communities. Here the average daily attendance, as well as the enrollment, has 

 increased by leaps and bounds since the building of our roads. For example, the 

 enrollment for the year ending June 30, 1915, was more than 1,000 increase for the year 

 over any preceding year. The average daily attendance increased 700, the greatest 

 in the history of the county. 



The past month (September, 1915), we enrolled in round numbers 9,000 pupils, out 

 of a total school population of 11,000, and had an average daily attendance of more 

 than 8,000, or about 90 per cent. This is the greatest in the history of the county, as 

 the yearly average attendance heretofore has been between 60 and 70 per cent. I 

 might add that we have a form of compulsory attendance in effect tliis year, which, no 

 doubt, is responsible for some of the unusual increase in daily attendance. 



We confidently expect our em-ollment to reach 10,000 during the year. We also 

 expect to see the average attendance qlose to 8,000, 



