Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1889-12-13
Bad Roads and Their Effect.

lr a country where the people have been
under th., tyranny "t had roads All their
lives. II can hardly be expected that they
will realize the fuli extent of the disadgan-
tages under which they labor IL IS not an
easy matter To present these disadvantages
In facts aud figures in such a way as t0 i'm
| press the man who ha- always gone Ia
market when the roads permitted and
stayed at home when their condition forbid
travel. and who has Ecycr looked Epon the
matter as affecting bis prosperity The At
/ tempt to show the relation between good
or bad roads aud the condition at the pru-
/ pie has been made by hundreds of writers
| students of economy and others within
! short time. thanks to au awakening IT gen
eral interest on the subject The scholar
who has made the subject a study. sits
down and prepares a table of figures show
ing the great losses occasiOued bv the ex
ira work put upon farmers teams-by the
wear and tear on vehicles-by the az
necessary expenditure uf time which the
| travelling OF bad roads requires the an
nual expenditure of sums, large ia the
| aggregate, in making repairs which hardly
last until the roadmaster has LETT the spot
Many Of these arguments fall upon deaf
ears. The farmer knows there are 8t.5 davs
that on the most Of these days he has a.
W0rk more or less faithfully lie knows
that be will come cut at the end of the
year little ahead 81 u little behind hand.
but hc i. not accustomed to figure the
amount 80 does not realize the gain or ioss
of "A few hours each week. nf "a little extra
work upon his teams. His blacksmith bill
j. considerable. but he ia a remarkable far
mrr who knows just shat il amounts 10 ia
a year, 20 the average man is n no position
to perceive any slight increase or decrease.
So with the other items which are affected
By the condition ct our highway. Stats
ties aud calculations show that our present
unecnnumiGal methods cost the farmer
millions every year, but while be- does not
doubt the statements. he does not realize
their truth.
There is feature of the question. how
ever. which impresscs itself upon every
man who comes to town with load af hay.
turnips. potatoes or other produce For a
week or ten days. perhaps, he has been
watching the clouds AMI studying the prob
abilities a. in when the roads will permit
his taking to town his gamered crop. or his
fruit or his garden stuff now reaiiy for
market He hears Of faacy prices being
paid by the town dealers and their custom
crs, because of bad roads and scarcity
Finally the sun comes out, he bitches mp
his team and starts for market The roads
permit travel aud his ncighbors as well aS
! himself have found that ont. The road is
| lined with other farmers teams bound On
the same mission lie reaches town aud
he finds the streets crowded with those
! quite as ready as himself to sell In few
hours the market has been supplied. glui
ted, and bis load is n burden ON his hands.
To take il home again would entail consid
cradle loss and he perhaps remains III town
over night, hoping for better luck next day
What with falling prices, hotel bills. etc,
his profits have vanished. The long block
/ auc through Dad Gotus mas dNdtieu MIN
nothing The town merchants. finding
/ that their local farmers have brought the
produce needed, have telegraphed to dis
tant commission houses, and the article
needed has been imported by rail from
abroad The railroads are not affected by
| bad roads. Few Of our farmers can say
that they have not had just such an ex-
pcrience every year
Ours is not II county specially adapted I"
agriculture. Our farmers find every year
that they are in sharper competition with
the agriculturist of the West, where ma
ture supplies everything i'll their favor.
| There would seem 10 be the greater ncees-
sity, therefore for being able to dispose of
our local productions at the greatest pos
siblc advantage. Through the interference
of bad roads they frequently enter the
market at the worst possible disadvantage.
| lt is time our farmers were moving yigOr
ously to remedy the matter. Not only
they but onr town merchants also, who
profit by their trade, are interested, and
the matter is one which concerns all -
| WilkesBarrc Rec0rd