The Advocate and news., 1899-02-15

Good Roads and State Aid.
It has been said that before we could
thoroughly realize the difficulty Of haul
ing on our common country roads, one of
two things had to happen: either the
horse must learn to talk, or else we
must take his place on the wagon; and
that the latter occurred when we learned
to ride the bicycle. The League of
American Wheelmen, with a membership
which has grown beyond the hundred
thousand mark, is generally acknOwl-
edged as the most potent factor in the
promotion of good roads sentiment. Since
1892, the League has maintained the
"Good Road Magazine" which has been
merged more recently into the "a. A. W,
Bulletin and Good Roads," its weekly
official organ. The l.. A. W. sends It's
emissaries to good roads conventions
and to the more important farmer gath
erings, and the highway laws of num-
ber Of states have been improved through
its efforts. It's latest undertaking is the
printing of a million illustrated good
roads pamphlets, and their circulation,
by mail, among farmers, whose addresses
are being gathered by the thousands Of
l.. A. w. officials. The first three hun
dred thousand of these pamphlets have
been printed and mailed.
The losses from bad roads in the
United States are enormous. The u. s.
Office Of Road Inquiry explains that our
average load of crops weighs practically
ton, while in Europe 1t Is upwards of
four tons, and often six TONS John M.
Stahl, editor Of the Farmers Call, esti-
mates that the annual cost of wagon
transportation Of the country Is 5000, ,000,-
900, Of which $500, 900, 900 might be saved.
Gen. Roy Stone, chief Of the road inquiry
Office, has verified this by careful COM
putations, and reports that the total
haulage on the public roads each year Is
313,349,227 tons, costing $946, Ala, ,665.54,
which constitutes over one-third of the
total value Of farm products. He state
that nearly two-thirds Of this cost is
due to bad roads.
The average farmer resents any inter-
ference with his road building methods,
which he considers peculiarly his own
affair. No reform, therefore, can be
forced upon him, and any successful plan
of road improvement must leave 1t op-
tional with him to avail himself of its
provisions. The initiative must be left
in his hands The state aid system seems
to have solved the problem to the farm
er's satisfaction This system has been
adopted in several states, but is most sue
cessfully in operation In New Jersey,
where 1t was introduced through the
combined efforts Of the League Of Amerl-
can Wheelmen and the leaders among
the farmers This system divides the
cost Of road improvement between the
state, the county, and the abutting prop
erty owners. Improvements are made
only upon petition from the latter. The
feature Of the state aid system which ap-
peals most strongly to farmers is the fact
that city taxpayers, large property hold
eTs and wealthy corporations are made
to contribute to the cost Of improved
country roads, through the taxes and IL
cense fees now paid into the State Treas
ury. The Farmers National Congress,
the most powerful agricultural body inl
the United States, passed resolutions last
December strongly endorsing state aid as
the solution Of the good roads problem,
and commencing the efforts of the
League OF American Wneelmen to bring
about its general introduction. The Ma
tiOnal Road Parliament, consisting al
most entirely of farmers, passed similar
resolutions at its last annual meeting
Otto DOrner In Forum.