48 The Via graph. 



upon the historian of that movement would be the patience 

 and moderation of the cycHst. 



The condition of the road, however, was not peculiarly a 

 matter for the cyclist only, it was a subject which engaoed 

 the attention of every section of the community. The 

 roads of the country were a distinct portion of the national 

 wealth, and. moreover, they were not an unproductive portion, 

 and it was obvious that the more efficient the roads were, the 

 more valuable they were. They might be sure that visitors to 

 these parts, whether Briti'^h or foreign, when endeavouring to 

 form an opinion as to the stage in civilisation to which the 

 people in these districts had attained, would take the qualitv 

 of the roads into account. It would be an element in forming 

 their opinion. Good roads were cheaper to the taxpayer than 

 bad roads in the long run, and not in the very long run either. 

 The surface of the roads around Belfast turned to dust in dry, 

 and mud in wet weather, at a far too rapid rate. He believed 

 this was due to want of drainage, and if that were so it would 

 pay the taxpayer to have the roads drained as a fresh start. 

 The work done by the steam roller did not seem to be as 

 effective as it ought to be. Many of the roads are dotted with 

 pools of water. The road from Belfast to Holy wood is a county 

 road, and it is in this £tiite, though only six weeks ago the 

 steam-roller passed over it. He thought the new County 

 Councils should borrow a sufficient sum of money, to put the 

 roads into perfect order, draining them, and giving them a 

 proper convexity of surface. That amount the taxpayer would 

 not have to pay all at once, it would be spread over a few 

 years. 



Mr. John Horner felt that Mr. brown had entered upon a 

 field of real philanthropy and was bringing before them a tiue 

 Irish grievance. '\ heir English friends did not suffer in the 

 same way as the people of Ireland. The apparatus which Mr. 

 Brown had produced w?s undoubtedly one of very gieat 

 ingenuity and it opened u[) a field for investigation as to their 

 roads in a way which was probably never done before. He 



