Do you think by the adoption of the same system the road from Twyford to London might be equally improved?—I have no doubt of it; the materials are better.
Which of course would make a great difference in the ease of working your coaches?—Yes; I should think we could perform the journey from Newbury to Reading in a quarter of an hour’s less time, which is seventeen miles.
Have you, as proprietor of mail coaches, had occasion to express any dissatisfaction to the Post Office, with regard to your present contracts?—Certainly, with very great reason.
Do you think that you should be enabled to continue those contracts at the present rate, if the roads are not put into a better state of repair?—That entirely depends upon the price of corn; we were very great sufferers till lately, that corn has fallen so much: or else my brother, as well as myself, intended to quit the mails, because we were losing a great deal of money.
Do you consider that the system of repairing roads, which has been adopted in that part of the road which you have described as under the superintendance of Mr. MᶜAdam, is superior to any other that you have seen adopted?—Certainly, I am sure it is, there is no question about it.
And that its general adoption would be highly beneficial to the coach proprietors, and to the public?—Most certainly.
Mr. Fromont being prevented by an accident from attending the Committee, it was resolved that the following Letter be entered on the Minutes:
Thatcham, May 1819.
Gentlemen,
I think it a duty incumbent on me to present to you my opinion respecting Mr. MᶜAdam’s plan of repairing and improving turnpike roads. From what I have noticed of his improvement on different parts of the Bath road, on which I am at present working different coaches a distance of above 500 miles per day, I think his plan altogether, i. e. first of screening and cleansing the gravel, and breaking the stones; secondly, of preparing the road to receive it; and thirdly, of laying it on the road, is the best and safest method I have ever seen in the course of fifty years experience in the coach and waggon business. I have formerly had several accidents happen from the gravel being laid too thick and very high in the middle of the road; and have killed some hundreds of horses (extra) in pulling through it; and I think I may venture to say, that if Mr. MᶜAdam’s plan was adopted generally throughout the kingdom, in the course of a short time the public would be enabled to travel with much greater ease and safety, and at nearly one-third less of expense; at all events I am convinced that nearly one-third less labour is required to work a fast coach over part of the road between Reading and London, where MᶜAdam’s plan has been adopted, than there is over other parts of the road where they still continue the old plan In short, my opinion may be given in a few words; his plan, if adopted generally, will cause the traveller to find easier, safer, and more expeditious travelling, and the owners of horses a diminution of nearly one-third of the original labour.