The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-05-31
FIGURES CANNOT LIE"
A Careful Consideration Busine IS
Men in the City Should Ponder
Over Them, and Farmers Pause
and Think.

Over Them, and Farmers Pause
and Think.
The accident to the bridge, occurring with
a swollen river and the consequent resort to
the primitive and tedious ferries, has diverted
public attention and wildly brought before
the people the Importance If not the impera-
tive necessity of free bridge over the Colo
RADIO at this point. 1t is necessity that has
evidently existed for years, and one that has
grown i'll Importance and kept pace with the
rapid development of the county and rapid
growth OF TIL city and It's commercial inter-
estS.
The tolls accommodating with the increase of
population have been direct drain upon
large portion of the citizens OF the county,
making grievous hardship upon many of the
poor, and materially and seriously affecting
the business interests of the city:
ton living south of the Colorado, they having
paid at least fOur-ifths of the tolls gathered
by the bridge company and the ferries. A
hardship, by reason OF these tolls, has been
worked upon the poor farmers and the indi-
gent in the city, upon the latter by an increase
of price in country produce and wood. Seven
tenthS of the wood consumed in the city comes
from beyond the river, and upon the farmer
by taking from him fifty cents to one dollar
on every load OF grain or cotton he
crosses over and sells in town. These tolls
have seriously effected the business OF the
city, for the reason that hundreds Of persons
have been kept out of town; and it is S ina
ted thai thousands of bales of cotton have
been turned away and sold i'll neighborjng
railroad villages. At this time, If a citizen
living south of the river wishes to buy twenty
five cents worth of medicine for sick child,
it costs him, If he rides i'll buggy, fifty cents
to get in and out of town; and If on horseback
twenty five cents, and he is often delayed a
the ferries from half to two hours. Before
the bridge ACCIDENT it cost him twenty to forty
cents without the risk of delay, which of course
was appreciated. These tolls when aggrega-
ted are
and should be carefully considered not alone
by every business man in the city but by
every citizen of the county who has its welfare
at heart and desires to see it prosper. Think
for moment all the brick used in Austin are
manufactured south of the river and two
thirds of the building stone easily obtained is
from that side of the river. The two elegant
brick warehouses erected last " ar ION the Ave
nue. by the HancOck'S cost them by reason of
these tolls one dollar per thousand brick more
than they would have cost If there had been
porter is informs that in the erection
of these two buildings 100000 brick were used
cess of what it would have been had there
been no tolls. Every poor man erecting him
self acOttag9, and desiring chimneys or brick
flues, has to pay from five to fifteen dollars
more than he would pay if there was free
bridge The following is carefully prepared
estimate of the direct cost to the people of a
toll bridge and ferries for the past six years,
about the time the bridge has been in opera
ton: Say that during year the river has
been on an f ayerag 80 daSEs
Information, have been $50 per day, or 5000;
ihe balance of the year, 275
days, the tolls have averaged $40 per day.
making total Of $9950 per annum or for the
six years, $50, 100. Ibis estimate is very low
and will not pay the bridge company over five
per cent on its Investment, II that much In
addition to this there have been two ferries
constantly running near the city, and for
ninety days during year their tolls have GER
tainly averaged $50 per day, $27OO year, or
S16,2TO in six years. There are two other fer
rieS that, with a free bridge, would not be
used, and they have for ninety days in year
certainly averaged $40 per day, 5000 year,
or $500 in six years, making direct
money toll of $91 300 in six years that the
people have had to pay to get in and out of
the Capital City, 1t will be perfectly safe to
run this estimate back fifteen years. and we
have S2G2, 100 paid in money to get in and out
of the city, while the indirect cost and loss of
business has been more than double that sum.
If this is not enough to cause business men to
think, then, in the name of all that Is rational,
what is? Ii this is not burning shame and
reproach. what under the heavens is.
The tolls increase with the increase of pop
ulOtiOn, and in five years from now they will
reach at least $50 900 per annum. The county
should have an iron bridge free for all. There
Is no earthly excuse for not having one. Toll
bridges and ferries belong to sparsely settled
much If the jungles of Africa to
be pleasant or tolerated in pOpulous
intelligent and wealthy communities. A tax
of five cents on the one hundred dollars valua-
ton in the county for twenty years will pay
the interest on, and the cost of, and repairs of
bridge, and the ferries, in the same time, will
be over twenty per cent on the one hundred
dollars valuation, and the indirect cost and
loss to business will be more than double this
sum. Think about it, consider the question
in all its bearings, and see if it is not best to
have q m fraa hridOn