Means of Transportation 
175 
(2) Light load for a woman who in her foreign home carried many things on 
her head because too poor to hire other means. 
(3) Distance short, perhaps half a mile ; hence not exhausting. 
(4) Very low cost of power, since the woman is an unskilled worker. The 
value of the wood, although slight, more than pays her for the labor. 
‘5) Road level, well paved, making transportation easy. 
C. Discussion of a transportation item or picture. 
1. In the upper left-hand corner of a sheet of paper mount a newspaper or 
magazine clipping or a picture dealing with transportation. On the rest 
of the paper discuss the item on the bases of this chapter and the table in 
Problem B, page 171. 
D. The condition of the roads near your home. 
1. Which are the best roads in your town? Why are these kept in the best 
repair ? 
Find out from your local street department the annual cost of keeping a 
mile of the best road in repair. Would it be wise to save this expense? 
Why, or why not? 
Where have you seen an ideal road? Whose money built it and keeps it 
in repair ? 
1. Where is the worst road you know of ? Why is it in bad condition ? 
5. Do you think it would be wise to improve (a) more of the roads in your 
state; (b) all the roads? Why? 
Has the rural free delivery of mail helped to improve the roads near your 
home? Name a locality where the roads have been benefited by this sys- 
tem. 
E. How the quality of roads depends on geographic conditions. 
1. Why has Massachusetts about four thousand miles of hard-surfaced roads, 
while Mississippi has only a few hundred ? 
9 Much of the soil of Illinois is clayey. What are some of the difficulties of 
road building in that state? 
Switzerland is noted for its good roads. What difficulties have had to 
be overcome? Why are the roads a good investment in spite of their 
great cost? 
In three groups of states both mileage and expenditure per mile are high, 
in comparison with other parts of the country: (a) northeastern states; 
(b) states bordering the Great Lakes; (c) Pacific states. Explain the 
conditions of prosperity, density of population, relief, and material for 
road building which probably are most important in causing each group 
to stand high. 
5. The expenditure per mile for roads is low in these five groups of states: 
(a) southern coastal plain; (b) Allegheny plateau; (c) western plains; 
(d) Rocky Mountains; (e) Basin plateau. What factors hinder each group 
from spending much money on its roads? 
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