Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1891-11-06
,APPEAL~FoR BETTER ROADS.

=. ,APPEALrFoR BETTER ROADS.
A Letter Worthy. Of the. Attention of
Every Citizen Of the County.
EDITOR TRANSCRIPT: 80
Many people do not mind their own
business. Some people attend to
their own business when it relates
exclusively to themselves but do not
give any attention to it if OF equal
interest to nearly every body else, and
the one thing that comes in the lat
ter class that is more neglected than
any other one thing of general inter-
est lis the condition OF our public roads.
How few ever give the matter a Sec
ond of real thought and how little is
really known, or moreproperly speak
ing, how little is thought by the av-
erage citizen of the real interest he
has in the roads! The writer will
cOnfine his remarks more particularly
to the roads of Morrison county.
Should any desire to pursue the sub
ject for the purpose of general infor-
nation, such are recommended to-
read an article written by Isaac B.
Potter, entitled "The Profit OF Good
Country Roads, in the November,
1891 Forum. The writer does not
take up this subject for mere pas
time but wishes to awaken public
interest in the matter, and knows OF
no other way to bring the subject in
to agitation. The reader must he a
little patient, as the writer has had
to be very many times: in travelling
over The country roads::~ He has at
different times been tossed from side
to side by the vehicle OF his convey
ance yielding to the influence Of some
obstacle in the road, until he was
thoroughly churned. Under such
circumstances thoughtful person
can mediate with profit on the
road question, but to avoid the read
er's getting the impression that
a prejudice might be fostered in the
mind OF a person getting his idea at
such times it is only necessary to say
that the writer pays taxes on a con-
siderable acreage in the county and
does not have occasion to use the
roads more than the average citizen
and not as much as the averagefarm-
er. Do not get Disguised and dOnot
grow pale when the writer says that
had he the opportunity to cast his
vote as to whether or no $4,000
should be expended judiciously with
in the next two years on our public
roads that his vote would be record
ed in favor of such expenditure if the
money could be secured on favorable
terms. And further, he would rec
ommend it as a good business invest
ment for the county. The county
means the people, for the county is
simply municipal organization to
carry into execution the aggregate
need Of the people. There are at the
present time about $500 farmers in
Morrison county that use the public
roads on an average one day each
week, about so days each year. There
is no reason for making any special
complaint against the roads OF Nor
rison county above those OF the av-
erage county in the west, but it is a
conservative estimate to place the
loss OF time of each person using the
roads for so days at days, caused
by defect in the roads, and such de-
fects as are easily remedied. The av-
erage value OF the time of a man and
team is 80 per day. Ii the above is
true the loss to each farmer is SIS
per annum, and for $500 farmers
1857 500; interest at 5 per cent. on
$750,0O0 and this leaves out city
travel entirely. We could add Il con-
siderable sum on that account. This
is only for one year. A road once
we'll made lasts for ever with a little
repair occasionally. Not only is time
lost, there is the wear and tear Of
team and vehicle. This in itself is no
small item. A wagon tossing over
stumps and banging up against
stones and falling into deep ruts
must of necessity be very much
strained, and cannot last very long.
The load carried must De reduced in
size, and notwithstanding such re-
duction the irregular strain is more
wearing upon the team. Distance
hen measured in connection With
roads could perhaps be more accur-
ately expressed in time as it is in
some European countries; that is,
the time that it would require the
average team to go over the stand
ard road. If a farm is located 8
miles out of city on good road
we may say that this ~farm is one
hour from the city. If located four
miles out on a bad road so that a
team must be kept on a walk in or
der to safely pass over it, it would
be the same distance, one hour, and
other things being equal the latter
farm would have no greater value
on account of it's nearness to market,
but by placing the road in the same
state of repair it gets an additional
value due to it's more advantageous
location. To the farmer we may say
that the distance your farm is from
market is to some extent capable OF
being adjusted, and by making the
distance short you add value toyour
farm. That is another item in favor
Of good roads that would in the ag-
gregate count up large. This sub
ject might be enlarged on to almost
an indefinite extent but as the
object of the writer is only to stir up
the thought OF the people he will
leave this branch of the subject to be
further pursued by the reader at his
own pleasure, and pass now to COM