The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1891-11-19
THE EEV RAILROADS.
An Interesting and COnyinc-
ing Letter.
Good Argument in Favor Of the
County Bonding =
Itself fer Building the Two Roads
Now Being Surveyed.

--@----A--
EDITOR CoMET-In former commu-
nications, showed that the two items
Of newly created taxable property, and
the enhanced values OF real estate adj
jacent to the lines Of the road represent
ed source of revenue to the county
that would about equal, II not exceed,
the interest on the $4,000 of bonds,
This would authorize the county to do
nate the amount covered b. the bonds
so far as the question of annual inter
est is concerned; but, as | understand
the proposition, the county is to receive
for the $4,000 of bonds $4,000 of
the stock certificates OF the Railroad
Companies, which, by the time tn
bonds mature will approach, if not
equal or exceed par value.
But my object now is to call atten-
ton to still another and additional fea-
ture of value, which the new roads
will be- to the county.
The greatest value which a railroad
is to a county is, that 1t shortens the
road TO market for the products of the
country. Itnot only shortens, hut great
" cheapens the freight-cost Of getting
market, / can well remember when
4ynchburg, Baltimore, Philadelphia
And New York in one direction; and
columbus, Macon, Augusta and
Charleston in the other, were the lead
ing places of market for East Tennes-
see reached then by old fashioned
road wagons that took out products
and brought back supplies at cost OF
81 for each 100 pounds per 100 miles.
Now the roads, for rates ranging from
15 to So cents (aecording to class) car
ries 100 pounds from 400 to 600 miles
But what | now refer to exactly, is
the question OF local freight cost in
thecounty. / mean this: To reach
the road at johnson City or at Jones
boro, farmers who live but three OF
four miles away can easily make two
or three trips with their wagons
whilst another class Of the farmers il
the county living from six to ten miles
away can make but one trip per day
It costs this latter class fully thre'
times as much as it does the forme
class of farmers to get their product
to market. This inequality will b
very largely cured by the PROPOSED
new roads. Along the forty-five mile
of new roads extending gu
four miles each way represents an are
of 800 square miles or, 230, 400 acres
and representing ], 440 farms Of 16
acres each. AT least 1000 Of these fart
locations now represent the long-har
or the one-load.per-day class. Suppos
each farm produces on an average {
twenty leads Of produce each year 4
market, this viii make an average
10000 loads or 10000 days hauling
Put the price Of wagon, team and
driver at $50 per day and its foo
up $4,000 But the roads will
shorten the distance to depots tn
three loads per day can as easily
made, and ct the same price per d.
cuts the total cost per annum down
10000, and makes, showing a savil
each year of $4,000. In twenty yea
(the time the bonds have to rum b
total saving OF hauling expenses W
amount to just 100000 or $1,000
more than twice the amount OF t
bonds. II n voter thinks my fgul
are wrong, let him carefully exa
inc and calculate and he will find tt
if my estimates are wrong, the err
is below instead OF above the II
figures. 1t will not do to say 80
it won't do to count the cost Of
farmer with his own wagon q
team hauling his own corn, yhf
oats, hay, potatoes, pork and beei
town." Yes it will do. It'll worth Il
muchtmoney or more and every da
hauling saved or avoided saves a II
tional part of the life of his wagon 1
horses and gives him eithera da,
needed rest or day to add imprt
ment TO his farm.
The real truth is, that the valus
advantages Of railroad are so nun
Gus that it is difficult TO see them
ar ia properly count them up.
n. A. PATTERl
Cost Of the Railroads.