The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1898-03-03
EX-GOV. W, D, HOARD.

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 Wis
consin League for. Good Roads, Mr..
Hoard has most forcibly stated the case
from the dairyman's standpoint.
Modern dairying," says Gov. Hoard,
''is usually grouped around the cream
cry and the cheese factory. On good
roads, where from one to two tons of
milk can be hauled to the factory with
ease and safety, the cost is naturally
lower than where much less quantity
can be hauled. It follows then that the
condition of the roads is direct living
factor in the cost of hauling. A limited
calculation would give you, I think, a
new view of the situation. There are in
Wisconsin, for instance, about 1850
cheese factories and creameries. 10
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 1OO,-
600 farmers who certainly ought to be
interested In the improvement of roads
from business standpoint. In all
kinds of weather. every morning in the
year, rain or shine, good roads or bad
roads, must they take their milk dis
lance varying from half a mile to five
miles to the factory, and haul. their
skim milk back over the same route.
Dairy farmers as a rule are the most
enterprising. and progressive of any
class of farmers. Does not their own
fortune as we'll as good name require
that they get together at every cheese
factory and creamery and unite CO.
operatively for an intelligent building
of good roads?"
Better means of communication are
becoming more and more essential, not
alone to dairymen. but to all farmers
alike. Farmers should be made less
dependent upon the weather.. Agricul-
ture in the United States has developed
to point where time is valuable in
this pursuit and it should be made pcs
sible 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 them
selves undertake the construction of
good roads upon all main lines of travel
leading to market towns, No commu.
nifty of farmers could burden itself
with their cost. The city population is
interested in the improvement of coun-
try roads, and should contribute to it's
expense, through the medium of state
aid. This is being done in Massachu.
setts, in New Jersey and in Connecti-
cut. New York and Pennsylvania are
about, to introduce similar system,
laws for the purpose being now before
the legislatures of those two states.
By the state aid system,;thes expense of
country roads is divided between the
state which pays from. one-third to one
half of their cost, the owners of the ad.
joining property sswho pay about one
tenth, and the county. State and coun.
ty taxes being: levied upon every tax
payer in proportion to his wealth, the
state aid system makes it possiblexetc
obtain contributions to the cost of good
roads from railroad, insurance, street
railway and telegraph companies and
from the wealthy. citizens in the cities,
thus relieving the farmer of consider.
able burden which would fall entirely
upon him if all road building was to be
done by the township officers, through
township taxes. If the farmer wants
good roads, and we know that he wants
them, he should insist upon state aid in
their construction. Cleveland Cycling
Gazette.