115

VII. GRAVEL ROAD NEAR SOLDIERS' HOME, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 127

VIII. OYSTER-SHELL OBJECT-LESSON ROAD 137

IX. EARTH AND MACADAM ROADS 168

PREFACE

The present volume on the Future of Road-making in America presents
representative opinions, from laymen and specialists, on the subject of
the road question as it stands today.

After the author's sketch of the question as a whole in its sociological
as well as financial aspects, there follows the Hon. Martin Dodge's
paper on "Government Cooperation in Object-lesson Road Work." The third
chapter comprises a reprint of Hon. Maurice O. Eldridge's careful
article, "Good Roads for Farmers," revised by the author for this
volume. Professor Logan Waller Page's paper on "The Selection of
Materials for Macadam Roads" composes chapter four, and E. G. Harrison's
article on "Stone Roads in New Jersey" concludes the book, being
specially valuable because of the advanced position New Jersey has taken
in the matter of road-building.

For illustrations to this volume the author is indebted to the Office of
Public Road Inquiries, Hon. Martin Dodge, Director.

A. B. H.
MARIETTA, OHIO, May 31, 1904.

The Future of Road-making in America

CHAPTER I

THE FUTURE OF ROAD-MAKING IN AMERICA

In introducing the subject of the future of road-making in America, it
may first be observed that there is to be a future in road-building on
this continent. We have today probably the poorest roads of any
civilized nation; although, considering the extent of our roads, which
cover perhaps a million and a half miles, we of course have the best
roads of any nation of similar age. As we have elsewhere shown, the era
of railway building eclipsed the great era of road and canal building in
the third and fourth decades of the old century, and it is interesting
to note that freight rates on American railways today are cheaper than
on any railways in any other country of the world. To move a ton of
freight in England one hundred miles today, you pay two dollars and
thirty cents; in Germany, two dollars; in France, one dollar and
seventy-five cents; in "poor downtrodden" Russia, one dollar and thirty
cents. But in America it costs on the average only seventy-two cents.
This is good, but it does not by any means answer all the conditions;
the average American farm is located today--even with our