The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-08
Ces!, Value OF Coed Roads.

A convincing presentation of the
economic va.ua Of good roads is made
in the April number Of Godey's Mag
azine b. Isaac =. Potter. While moth
ing that he says is new, all that he says
is and will remain timely so long as
country roads continue to be rough, ir-
regular and at certain seasons Of the
year practically useless both to wheel
men and to tcamsters.
Mr.. Potter first cites the now familiar
phenomenon of the abandoned farm as
a proof that something is radically at
fault in the conditions surrounding,
American agriculture. That something
he believes is the poorness Of the public
roads. Last year." says he, "our rail-
roads carried q thousand million tons
Of freight. Every year the amount. in
carted and carried over our streets and
roads before it gets TO the railroad. Mil
lions OF tons more are hauled in wagons
and sold in the country towns and con-
sumed by the local buyer. Here is the
farmers end Of it: hay, fifty-four mil
lion tons; ninety million tons Of po-
tatoes; two million tons of cotton; total.
one hundred and trty-two million tons.
not counting the mud On the wagon
wheels. Five hundred million dollars
paid for farm implements and macIin-
cry to harvest it. Twelve hundred mil
lions invested in farm horses and inules
to drag 1t to market. Think Of wait
ing for the mud to dry up Sixteen
million horses and mules idle in the
stable. -Four million dollars a day for
horse feed; twenty-eight millions q
week. Think Of the loss of time and
labor; the dwarfed and shrunken values
Of our farms; Of the slack supply and
sood prices when the roads are impas-
sable; think of the procession Of farm
ers that rush to town and glut the
market in the first days of dry wealth.
er, and think Of the paltry prices they
get when everybody is trying to sell to
an overstocked merchant"
But that is not the whole matter,
even from the farmers standpoint.
Says Mr.. Potter: "Raise the value Of
real estate on American farms five ner
| cent, and you make our farmers rich
er by six hundred and fifty millions
Of dollars. Put q like increase on the
value of farm products, live stock, and
farm machinery and you gain three
hundred and fifty millions more. De-
crease the cost Of hauling one years
crop of hay, cereals. potatoes, tobacco,
and cotton, by only ten cents per ton,
and you save fifteen millions of dol
| lars. A good road, therefore. is splen-
did Investment. There never was
try on earth that didn't pay hundred
| per cent year on Its cost. It raises
the value of every acre. invites us to
] market when prices are good, and takes
pirates who sell our goods behind our
backs at their own figures, keep their
own accounts, and pay us a pittance
for our toll and trouble. A good road
shortens distances saves time, wagons
horse-.lesh, and harnesses, increases
the load and lessons the burden, and
makes 1t possible to haul two tons to
market with the same power that now
leaves one ton stuck in the mire. And
good roads bring us closer together,
drive out the gloom, make neighbors of
hernlts, discount every farm mortgage,
and bring joy and contentment to every
community"
1t only remains for the farmers Of
| America to see the force Of these argu-
ments. When they do this, the road
problem will soon be solved.
! Wharton Barker wants new third
party, pledged to high protection and
the free coinage Of silver. The more