The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-05-05
BAD WEATHER ROADS
Need of Highways that are Always Smooth
and Hard.

Perhaps never does the need OF
good roads manifest itself SO strongly
in a community of farmers as where
they attempt to carry on eo-opera-
tive enterprise such as a creamery or
a cheese factory. So long as the far
mer remains at home on his own land
it makes no difference to him whether
his roads be smooth as asphalt or
rough and stony as mountain pass,
or whether they be hard and level
like the English highways of maca-
dam or soft and sticky like the ground
about the pigsty, says Cycling Gaz-
cite. 1t is only when it comes to go
ing to town, especially if it be with
load of crops, that the condition of
the highway cuts any figure. And it
becomes more important than ever
where farmers are obliged to drive to
a creamery each day in the year with
their milk.
In most of the states dairying has
only of late become a great industry,
but its continued growth calls more
loudly than ever for the construction
of roads which will enable the cream
cry patrons to deliver their milk with
out wearing out their horses when
ever the weather takes an unfavor-
able turn. Wet weather roads are
needed here, and dairying can never
be complete success without them.
Ex-Governor William d. Hoard, the
president of the National Dairy union,
is strong advocate of good roads.
His experience has taught him how
essential they are to dairy farmers.
AS vice president of the Wisconsin
League for Good Roads, Mr.. Hoard
has most forcibly stated the case from
the dairymen's standpoint.
Modern dairying," says Governor
Hoard lis usually grouped around
the creamery and the cheese factory.
On good roads, where from one to two
tons of milk can be hauled to the fac
tory with ease and safety, the cost is
naturally lower than where much
less quantity can be hauled. 1t fol-
lows, then, that the condition of the
roads is a direct living factor in the
cost of hauling. A limited calcula
ton would give you, think, new
view of the situation. There are in
Wisconsin, for instance, about 2, 500
cheese factories and creamerieS. To
each one of these every morning there
comes an average of say 40 farmers
with their milk. Now that number
of factories or creameries represents
1O0,O0 farmers, who certainly ought
to be interested in the improvement
of roads from a business standpoint.
In all kinds of weather, every morn
ing in the year, rain or shine, good
roads or bad roads, must they take
their milk distance varying from half
a mile to five miles to the factory and
haul their skimmilk back over the
same route. Dairy farmers as a rule
are the most enterprising and pro-
gressive of any class of farmers. Does
not their own fortune as well as good
name require that they get together
at every cheese factory and creamery
and unite comparatively for an intel
ligent building of good roads,
Better means of communication are
becoming more and more essential,
not alone to dairymen, but to all far
mers alike. Farmers should be made
less dependent upon the weather.
Agriculture in the United States has
developed to a point where time is
valuable in this pursuit, and it should
be made possible for farmers to get to
town after a rain when the land is
still too wet for farm work. Many
of them would avail themselves of
this opportunity if they had it. But
they cannot themselves undertake
the construction of good roads upon
all main lines of travel leading to mar
ket towns. community of farmers
could burden itself with their cost.
The city population is interested in
the improvement of country roads
and should contribute to its expense
through the medium of state aid.
This is being done in Massachusetts,
in New jersey and in Connecticut.
New York and Pennsylvania are
about to introduce n similar system.
By the state aid system the expenses
of country roads is divided between
the state which pays from one-third
to one-half of their cost, the owners
of the adjoining property, who pay
about tenth, and the county.
State and county taxes being levied
upon every taxpayer in proportion to
his wealth, the state aid system
makes it possible to obtain contribu-
tions to the cost of good roads from
railroad, insurance, street railway
and telegraph companies and from
wealty citizens in the cities, thus re-
lieving the farmer of a considerable
burden which would fall entirely up
on him if all bodybuilding was to be
done by the township officers, through