Читать книгу Remarks on the Present System of Road Making - John Loudon McAdam - Страница 7

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The funds placed by the Legislature at the disposal of the Commissioners for the care of turnpike roads are very considerable, and might be supposed with proper management, fully equal to the object; they arise principally from toll duties, and a proportion of statute labour.

As long as it shall be necessary to raise large sums for the maintenance of roads, the present means must continue; toll duties, although liable to many objections, are so immediately, and effectually productive, that little hope can be entertained of the possibility of their being reduced, until a continuance of a better system shall have materially amended the roads, and reduced the expence, so as to leave means for extinguishing the heavy debt owing by the country for this branch of the public service.

Statute labour, in kind, was decreed by Parliament at a time, when no better means could be devised: when a circulating medium was deficient, and when a fair quantum of labour could not, in many parts of the country, be obtained for money.

Personal labour for a public service can never be made profitable, or fairly productive; at the same time, it is liable to the great objections of being made an instrument of partiality and oppression under the direction of a class of men with whom such a power should never be lodged, and over whom, in this instance, no adequate controul can be placed.

The causes, which operated to induce Parliament to resort to personal service, having ceased, it will be found expedient to commute statute labour for a moderate assessment in money. This has been effected with great advantage in Scotland, by most, if not all of the local and county Acts for turnpike roads.^[6]

6. It is impossible not to see that statute labour is a remnant of personal service; a gentleman might as well argue at the present day, that rents paid in kind, are more easy and equitable than monied rents, as to defend the custom of mending highways by compulsory labour.

Edgeworth’s Essay on the Construction of

Roads and Carriages, p. 46.

The sum of money annually raised in the kingdom for roads is very great, and would be found, if carefully examined into, much beyond the general belief. Government have procured information, as to the sum raised annually for parish roads (generally denominated highways) but they have not yet enquired into the amount of the much greater sum raised for the maintenance of the turnpike roads, nor into the amount of the debt incurred for the same purpose.

These funds, considerable as they are, continue to be expended, nominally, under the direction of Commissioners, but effectually and practically under the Surveyors, over whom the Commissioners have very uncertain means of useful controul; and there is no doubt, that much abuse exists in the expenditure, partly from ignorance, but much more from peculation and patronage very much misplaced.

Under such circumstances the protection of the funds would be promoted by the inspection and controul of a superior officer; and finally it might be desirable, that a report from each trust should be made to Parliament of the receipt and expenditure for the year.

That the funds provided by Parliament for the roads are either insufficient for the object, or that they are improvidently expended, is best proved by the numerous applications to Parliament in every Session, for extension of powers and increase of tolls; setting forth that without such aid the debts cannot be paid, nor the roads kept in repair. In the Session of Parliament 1815, thirty-four such petitions were presented; and in the Session of 1816, thirty-two; all which bills were passed as a matter of course; the petitioners being only required to prove the actual necessity to the Committee, but no enquiry seems to have been made as to the cause of that necessity.

An efficient, uniform and constant controul of the expenditure of road funds, and an annual report of the result to Parliament would enable the House of Commons to form a judgment, whether the deficiency proceeded from inadequacy of the means, or from improvident expenditure; and thereby that Honourable House would be enabled to use means for preventing the growing amount of debt, which the petitions presented each Sessions sufficiently shew to be increasing to an alarming degree; and which, being incurred under the authority of Parliament, must ultimately become a claim upon the justice of the country.

Upon consideration of this important subject it appears, that a review of the turnpike laws has become indispensable, for the purpose of altering and amending obsolete, useless, and oppressive regulations; and for substituting others more consonant with the present state of society. This review is required by experience of the inadequacy of the present system, to the great object of forming the best and easiest communications through every part of the country, with a due regard to economy; and for preventing the increase of a debt, which has been allowed, in silence, to accumulate to an extent, that will hardly be credited when properly and accurately ascertained.

Many and important improvements have originated from the good sense and zeal of individual Commissioners, or from particular district meetings, the good effects of which have been confined to the place of origin; such improvements have also ceased to operate, on the death or removal of their authors, and have been thereby finally lost, for want of a general superintendance, which would have an interest in the improvement of the whole.

The defective state of the roads, independent of the unnecessary expence, is oppressive on agriculture, commerce, and manufactures, by the increase of the price of transport, by waste of the labour of cattle, and wear of carriages, as well as by causing much delay of time.

Under an efficient and responsible executive department, established and directed by the wisdom of Parliament, this subject would be brought within the means of examination and regulation; and many local improvements, which have been confined to small districts, would be brought forward, and communicated generally for the public benefit.^[7]

7. Since this Essay was written, I have visited England, and have found, on a journey of many hundred miles, scarcely twenty miles of well-made road. In many parts of the country, and especially round London, the roads are in a shameful condition. This must strike the public; and sooner or later the good sense of the English nation will feel the necessity of adopting some means of improvement.

Edgeworth’s Essay, Preface, p. 7.

In Ireland, the cross roads are generally better than the great roads, and comparing all the roads in that country with the roads in England, the shameful inferiority of the latter would evidently appear.

Edgeworth’s Essay, p. 46.

The Author has abstained from any notice of the parish roads; although their condition and the state of their funds, are more deplorable than that of the turnpike roads. The Legislative enactments for their maintenance and repair are so inadequate to the object, that they may be considered as being placed almost out of the protection of the law.

There can be no apparent good reason, why, such a distinction should be made between the two description of roads; and their being both placed under the care of the Commissioners, with the benefit of the scientific direction of a General Surveyor, would ensure an equal improvement of the parish roads.