n6 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



vision, in order that the road taxes may be economically and efficiently 

 spent. Such inspectors must necessarily receive salaries commensurate 

 with their qualifications. These salaries should be paid in part by the 

 state to insure central control and the adoption of uniform standards 

 and in part by the counties where the inspectors are stationed in order to 

 lessen the general burden of taxation. 



The League of American Wheelmen is doing much in New York to 

 arouse public opinion in favor of good roads. It is to be hoped, how- 

 ever, that this influential organization will not confine its attention to 

 state roads alone but will advocate some measure to improve the 

 general system of road supervision and repair. 



It has been suggested that a part of the excise revenue under the 

 Raines law might be used for building roads. This practical question 

 must be decided by the people and their representatives in the legislature. 



Natural Roads 



In the United States most roads have natural beds and the character 

 of these beds is determined by the geology of the region in which 

 they lie. 



Hence the road beds consist of clay, sand, loam or gravel, or occasion- 

 ally are on the surface of the country rock which may be shale, sandstone, 

 limestone, etc. 



From the fact that an unfertile soil is not good for road building, it 

 usually happens that the poorest roads are in regions of poor farms where 

 property values and consequently taxes are low and there is little money 

 to spend on the roads. This is especially true in stony districts, for a 

 stony soil is a most unmanageable material for a natural road. 



Of the natural roads those on clay soil are best in dry weather, those on 

 sand best in wet weather. When wet with a certain proportion of water, 

 fine sand becomes hard and elastic as we see on the beaches of our 

 Atlantic coast, where good natural roads are found near the water's 

 edge. 



Of the natural soils the best for road purposes are those variable mix- 

 tures of sand and clay called loams. Loam roads average better through 

 the year than those of clay or sand. A limestone gravel makes a very 

 good road, and also a fine quartz gravel mixed with clay. 



From every-day experience, it is clear that natural road beds are not 

 the best for heavy traffic when under varying conditions of moisture. It 



