The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1877-12-29

Cor wv ROAlS AND LAND NALUES-The Sm,
continuing its discussion of the county road ques
ton, in its issue o. 25th says: "A week ago we
calIed attention TO the fact that the question of
county roads will be brought before the General
Assembly OF Maryland at the coming session.
The law providing for the improvement of public
roads in Baltimore county, which was passed at
the last session OF the General Assembly, was very
minute in its details and very stringent in its pro-
visions. It is conceded nevertheless, that it has
not worked well, although the tax levy for this
purpose il very heavy. The whole system of
county roGd-making requires to be changed, and
this change can never be effected so long the
work is done by persons unskilled in the proper
method of constructing new or improving old
roads, aud simply DESTROYS of making as much
money as possible out of the contracts awarded
them. Any one VINO has Travelled through the in
Tor of the county has experience of the fact that
in many cases neither the roads or bridges are
what they ought to be, considering the amount OF
money supposed to be expended upon them. Even
within a dozen miles Of Baltimore there are parts
of county roads which in the summer time,
after a heavy rain it is difficult to travel, and in
winter almost impossible. The depreciation
of farm property on the line of such roads is al
mosi cacGlGbe. As an Illustration of this may
DC cited the fact that a farm which offered for
sale a few months ago, and said to be within a
mile of a railroad station, not more indeed than
fOrty-five minutes from Baltimore, and which was
really within two miles of the station, would not
fetch when offered forty dollars acre. Yet the
land was Of superior quality, and the barn in
rensely large and well built, though the house and
other outbuildings indifferent. The situa-
lion also was as healthy any in the State.
From the turnpike the farm was only about nile
d;siaat, but the Tpproach from that direction was
so broken and bad that it practically destroyed
the value of Che property, whilst me approach by
the county road proper was not only longer, but
was in scarcely better condition. With a good
road 10 the farm it would have easily commanded
a hundred dollars per acre, and probably cOnsid-
erably more. 1t is such roads as these-and they
are common in Baltimore county-that forces pur-
chasers who are looking for farms away from The
county roads and upon the line of rail- because OF
the facility of to Baltimore that the latter
gives. 1t is not too much to gay that # the roads
were put in good travelling condition al all seasons
of the year the value of the farming land through
out the county would be increased One-third. Bot
the system of road-makng must be greatly
changed before this can DE accomplished, and tais
change can only be effected by enlisting The land
owners themselves in the work, instead of employ
ing irresponsible persons 1t is the interest Of the
former TO that the money applied to the I'M
provement OF the roads IS expended in the best
manner, and the example set by landowners ia
improving TIE cross roads from the Hartford TO The
York pike and from Charles street avenue to Lake
Roland is tbe best evidence OF what be done
in the way of making good roads, and of the re-
markable enhancement of the value of the lands
thereby"
In the case cited above by the San the bad
county road not entirely responsible for the
low price at which the farm sold. Whilst to some
extent it might have been the cause the San must
remember that the depreciation of real estate has
been general in the last few years all over tie
country, whether of property located on impassa-
bic county roads or on turnpikes