The Opelousas courier., 1890-12-27
GOOD ROADS AND LAND VALUES.
Thomas Nevins, of Orange, N. j., Shows
That Erhnr Arc G1nsoIr RnIafad.

S0 +SNSD w. 49," -
as any similar locality in the United
States. In fact many of the Orange
roads are equal in excellence to the
far famed European highways. The
Oranges are near New York city, and
much of the land therein is owned by
rich men who do business in the metrop-
oils, but prefer the freedom and good air
of well kept country places to residences
in the city. All improvements-good
streets, gas, water and sewers-which
are in the city are also to be found in the
Oranges, and one man should be largely
credited for that fact. That man is Mr..
Thomas Nevins, of East Orange.
MI. Nevins may safely be spoken of
as a man who has made a colossal fort
une out of the improvement of road
ways; not by profits on road making
contracts, but by increase of land val
ues caused by road Improvement. There
is no man in the country who knows
more about the practical effects of road
improvement, and there is no nan more
anxious to have every one else know as
much as he does. He said the other day:
The relation between good roads and
land values is not appreciated in this
country, and any man who helps edu-
cate the people to the importance of the
matter is doing them q real service. |
have lived in the Oranges for nearly a
quarter of a century, and have had an
excellent opportunity to watch their
progress from a collection of farms con
nected by dirt roads to one of the best
paved and most magnificent residence
localities in the United States. More
over l reverse the opinion of most peo-
pie. The general idea is that the roads
Of the place are well paved because rich
men have come here. Iassert that the
rich men have come here because the
roads are well paved.
Good roads mean everything to a com
munity. In agricultural localities they
meal the difference between prosperity
and adversely; in towns they mean the
difference between growth and stagna-
lion. In the latter instance this is
generally recognized, but the average
farmer doesn't believe it. TO the latter
this little incident may act as an ''eye
opener" My brother owns a farm Of
1873 acres in Union county, N. J.. A few
years ago he valued the land at from
$50 to $75 an acre, but he was unable
to sell at even that price. The farm
was improbable. Bad roads made it
difficult and expensive to get its produce
to market, and the profits did not repre-
sent a fair rate of interest on the esti-
mated value of the land. Every day that
he owned the farm meant a dead loss to
him. By and by the ''road improvement
craze" struck Union county. About sixty
miles of good Telford highways were put
down. What is the result? Well, my
brother has within a few days refused
5000 an acre for his land. And the cry
that increased taxation more than eats
the increased valuation certainly does
not hold good where the increase of valu-
is 1926 per acre. Moreover, the
farm yields a good profit now. And
absolutely all of this has been brought
about by the introduction of good roads.
People ask how good roads can affect
the profits Of a farm, and although every
writer on the subject has answered the
question a dozen times it win do no
harm to answer 1t again. The answer is
this: Good rNads make markets
accessible. "A team can pull twice as
much I'VE a smooth Telford road as
over the average country dirt road, and
pull it twice as rapidly. / have teams
engaged this very day hauling stone to
Ehe new Prudential Insurance building.
They draw $500 pounds at a load. The
roads which they travel over are hard
smooth. I know by experience that
5hese same teams cannot draw more
han 5000 pounds over the ordinary dirt
'oad. Each farmer has a certain amount
It produce to transport. If each team
haul twice as much over good roads
Is 1t can over bad roads, why, the farm
e viii require only half as many teams,
md the money expended in the purchase
md keep OF the extra horses may be de-
1oted TO farm improvements, ETC., which
would otherwise be necessarily neglect
d. There r other savings in labor
ire, time and wear and tear upon har-
and vehicles which are not easy to
lgure up, but which are very real and
igJre largely in the profit account at
he end Of the year.
Why, there are fully 800 miles Of Tel
ord road in the state of New Jersey,
nd I know what I'm talking about
vhen I say that the increase in land
alues, brought about by good roads in
Jnion county alone, would pay six times
Yer the cost of every foot Of stone road
ut down In the state.
Some things have occurred in my own
usiness experience which illustrate
well the increase in land vaIues
Thich good roads viii bring about. A
sW years ago / bought forty-five acres
! land for $1,000 q acre, not far from
range. Iopened up thesland and nut
the best kind OF twelve inch Telford
bad. This with other improvements
rought the expense of the land to me
p to $40 a front foot. Pretty good
rice, you say? Well, wait a minute.
sold that land pretty nearly as fast as
could draw up the deeds, and / sold
one of it for less than $50 q front
DOT. There were seventeen acres on
other side of the road owned
y the anne man of whom / bought
tract Of which / have just told you.
bis he offered me at the time I bought
first tract for 81, 800 an acre, but I
ldn't buy 1t. The improvements which
had put On the adjoining land gave
ais second tract q boost also, and + was
cry glad IN the course of a year to buy
&C 1900 an acre. ! improved it as /
ID the other tract, and in less than two
lorths ! sold enough of 1t to pay the
nrchase price and cost Of improvements