The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1895-05-04
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.
The FINANCIAL SIDE.


Economical Phases Involved In the SUBJ
ject of Good Roads.
This. subject of good roads involves
several questions. The principal ones
are these: How much is the benefit
derived from good roads? Who gets
the benefit? How much does 1t cost?
Who pays for 1t? Who ought to pay
for It?
Gen. Stone, of the federal depart
ment of agriculture, has found three
independent estimates which place the
yearly loss to farmers in the United
States from bad roads at about $780,
600, 900, equivalent to 81 an acre annu-
ally. Capitalized at five per cent, this
amount, If saved, would increase the
value of farm land SEQ an acre, or a to-
tai increase of $4,000, 10000 AS the
total value of all farms is about s26,-
900, O0O, 900 this would be an increase of
fifty per cent. in their value. AS the
total annual value of farm products is
only $4,000, 100000, one-fourth of its
value is lost through bad roads.
Comparisons have also been made
horse does twice the work of the
American horse, the French horse
three times the work; not because
they are better horses, but because
they travel better roads. Mr.. Wollen
estimates the annual cost of maintain
ing horse at 500. If only one-fourth
of the horses in Indiana could be
spared, instead of one-half or two
thirds as in England or France, the
annual saving in horse maintenance
for this state alone would be S30,oo0,-
600. Prot. Ely holds that poor roads
cost the farmer SIS per horse.
These estimates are none too high.
The gain from good roads when once
they are completed will make the most
cautious statistics seem fabulous. But
there are two or three special points to
be considered. The tremendous fall n
prices of farm products in recent years
is heavy drawback to road improve
ment. Farm products have fallen in
prices even more than the roads have
benefited the farmer. In 1882, accord
ing to the reports of the secretary of
agriculture, the average value of the
corn product in the United States was
Sll.9i per acre; in 1893 it was 1921 per
acre, fall Of 81 per cent. Oats fell
from Sl1.4S per acre In 1882, to $685.
per acre in 1893, 40 per cent; wheat
yielded SIC per acre in 1882, only ST. 16
in 1898, fall of nearly so per cent
But the cost of production, according
to the estimates of $4,000 farmers is
SLIGO per acre-S12.39 in Indiana
nearly double the price received for
the product. Horses, which in 1882
averaged SOL head, are only S4S in
1894, fall of 81 per cent in 81 years.
With horses so cheap and grain still
cheaper to feed them, 1t Is not likely
that farmers can spend much money in
building roads to economic horse
flesh.
AS a result of this universal fall in
products, the values of farm lands have
fallen correspondingly. Consequently
large part of the stone and gravel
roads which have been built during
the last fifteen years have not served
to raise the value of abutting farm
property, as should be expected from
the estimates have quoted, but have
merely protected it from the universal
fall of all such property. In many
cases even the benefited farm lands
have actually fallen in value, notwith-
standing the advent of the hard road.
Closely connected with this is anoth-
er point to be noted, namely, that. it
takes several years for farmers to real
ize the increased value which good
roads bring. In order to take advan-
tage of good roads the farmer must
adopt more intensive method of cul-
tivation. Must introduce crops for
which there is market demand, must
invest in more machinery and imple-
ments. All of this requires time, and
meanwhile the farmer is compelled to
pay his assessments in cash derived
from the sales of deprecated products.
l do not intend, however, to hold
that farmers are not benefited
by good roads. Indeed, they are high
~ benefited relatively If their farm
values remain even stationary and do
not decline, since there is almost no mar
ket at all nouaddys for farms ,oithoM such
roads What ! maintain is this, that
farmers under the present fall in
prices of farm products and farm lands
cannot afford to bear all the expense of
building the county roads, as they
have done in the past. If we are to
have good roads the cities must help
the farmers.
The objection is made that cities
have their own heavy expenses for
building and maintaining their streets,
to which the farmers do not contribute,
and, therefore, the farmers should not
ask them for help in constructing their
country roads. The answer Is that
only the main gravel and macadam
roads are contemplated under the New
Jersey and similar laws, which might
properly be called county or state
roads, and that If cities have streets to
maintain, farmers have township and
cross roads to maintain, to make con-
nections with the pixies. The town.
ships of Indiana tax their property
owners 10 to Is cents on the 500 for
maintaining their own dirt roads, and
an additional special tax for new
roads. while the city of indianapolis
has n tax for the care of its streets and