322 



OUR PUBLIC HIGHWAYS. 



sanguine in its conclusions. France, England, Germany 

 and other countries have long since learned that it is 

 cheaper to put money into the construction of first-class 

 permanent roads than into repairing poor ones. Our illus- 

 trations show typical roads of Europe and America for 

 compu'ison. They plead morv eloquently than words 



A Pennsylvania Suburban Dirt Road Cut by Narrow Tires. 



could do, in favor of a thorough 

 and speedy change in our road 

 system. 



There can be no question as to 

 whether we can afford to build 

 and maintain high -class roads. 

 "Our country is rich and popu- 

 lous," says Isaac B. Potter. ' ' We 

 claim to be intelligent and enter- 

 prising. We have cleared up our 

 forests and exterminated the last 

 wild beast from most of our states 

 years ago, while the French gov- 

 ernment is still paying a yearly 

 bounty for the pelts of slaught- 

 ered wolves. A glance at the 

 statistical returns of New York. 

 Pennsylvania, Massachusetts. 

 New Jersey and Connecticut will 

 show that the population per 

 square mile of these states is 

 more than fifty per cent, greater 

 than that of Europe, while a 

 dozen other states might be add- 

 ed to the list without materially 



changing the ratio. We are scarcely aware of our own 

 prosperity." 



Indeed, we cannot afford to do without better roads any 

 longer. Neither our reputation, nor patriotic pride, nor 

 material interests will permit the continuance of existing 

 conditions. The only question that is worth considera- 

 tion at this time is, How shall we make the change ? 



Shall the road-tax be paid in money and the latter 

 be expended under the direction of skilled road-build- 

 ers, or shall the state be made to take charge of the 

 roads? A writer in TIic XczL'-Yoi-k Tribune sug- 

 gests state-prison labor as a way out of the difficulty. 

 He says; "Our citv (Fort Scott) keeps its convicts 

 breaking rock. For crime a man 

 is sentenced to so many days ' on 

 the rock-pile'; so it always has 

 material ready to repair its streets. 

 Why could not the labor of state- 

 prisons be thus utilized ?" 



Practical suggestions from read- 

 ers will be gladly published. 

 American Gardening stands for 

 the best in rural life, and its cru- 

 sade against useless fences may 

 fittingly be followed by a vigorous 

 effort to awaken the country to 

 the fearful money loss sustained 

 annually through bad roads A 

 conservative calculation of only 

 the expense caused by bad roads 

 in detentions in spring hauling 

 presents the startling total of over 

 eighty millions of dollars, more 



.A Macada.hized Roa 



D IN H<.LLA\D. TH\I U'OLiLL) l)i i CREDIT TO ANY COUNTRY. 



than enough to construct sixteen thousand miles of good 

 Macadam road annually ! We pay for the good roads, 

 but through inattention, we do not have them. 



We propose to present details and methods of construc- 

 tion from time to time, and invite practical thoughts and 

 suggestions from those who have ideas or experiences in 

 modern road-making. 



