I have, at page 183 of the present volume, given a brief statement of
the annual cost attending the keeping of the streets of the metropolis
in working order.
The formation of the streets of a capital like London, the busiest in
the world--streets traversed daily by what Cowper, even in his day,
described as “the ten thousand wheels” of commerce--is an elaborate and
costly work.
In my former account I gave an estimate which referred to the amount
dispensed weekly in wages for the labour of the workmen engaged in
laying down the paved roads of the metropolis. This was at the rate
of 100,000_l._ per week; that is to say, calculating the operation of
relaying the streets to occupy one year in every five, there is no
less than 5,200,000_l._ expended in that time among the workpeople
so engaged. The sum expended in labour for the continued repairs of
the roads, after being so relaid, appears to be about 20,000_l._
per week[30], or, in round numbers, about 1,000,000_l._ a year;
so that the gross sum annually disbursed to the labourers engaged
in the construction of the roads of London would seem to be about
2,250,000_l._, that is to say, 1,000,000_l._ for repairing the old
roads, and 1,250,000_l._ per annum for laying down new ones in their
place.
It now remains for me to set forth the gross cost of the metropolitan
highways, that is to say, the sum annually expended in both labour and
materials, as well for relaying as for repairing the roads.
The granite-built streets cost, when relaid, about 11,000_l._ the
mile, of ten yards’ width, which is at the rate of 12_s._ 6_d._ the
square yard, materials and labour included, the granite (Aberdeen)
being 1_l._ 5_s._ per ton, and one ton of “seven-inch” being sufficient
to cover about three square yards.
The average cost of a macadamized road, materials and labour included,
if constructed from the foundation, is about 4400_l._ per street mile
(ten yards wide)--5_s._ the superficial yard being a fair price for
materials and labour.
Wood pavement, on the other hand, costs about 9680_l._ a mile of ten
yards’ width for materials and labour, which is at the rate of 11_s._
the superficial yard.
The cost of _repairs_, materials and labour included, is, for granite
pavement about 1-1/2_d._ per square yard, or 100_l._ the street mile of
ten yards wide; for “Macadam” it is from 6_d._ to 3_s._ 6_d._, or an
average of 1_s._ 6_d._ per superficial yard, which is at the rate of
1320_l._ the street mile; while the wood pavement costs about the same
for repairs as the granite.
The total cost of repairing the streets of London, then, may be taken
as follows:--
Repairing granite-built streets, per £
mile of ten yards wide 100
Repairing macadamized roads, per
street mile 1320
Repairing wood pavement, per street
mile 100