Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-07-03
FOR GOOD ROADS.


1t Is Est imated hat fe5, ,OOO, 900 Has Besn
Spont as . Result of l.. A. WIS Work.
Otto Dorner, Chairman of the High
way Improvement Committee of the
League of American Wheelmen, esti-
mates that the organization has ex-
pended no less than $210,000 in the
past eight years in the agitation for
improvement In the country roads of
the United States. OF this amount
every cent has been expended in the
distribution of literature on the sub
ect and in other legitimate ways, and
none of 1t has been used in the actual
building of highways.
The direct result of this agitation has
been the building of roads which cost,
estimated, nearly $25,000,000. The l..
A. w. was the first organization to
take up this work, and mt first met
with serious opposition from the farm
ers, who could see in it nothing but n
new scheme of taxation. They averred
that the wheelmen had only selfisi
interest, inspired by desire to have
smooth roads upon which to ride their
bicycles. And while this was more or
less true the wheelmen have been able
to show the farmers that in building
good roads the greatest beneficiaries
are the farmers themselves.
The subject has been reduced to
statistics and these show that there is
II very appreciable profit in time, carry
ing capacity and availability to the
farmers in having solid roads at all
seasons of the year. In many eases it
has been proven that the cost of n
iirst-claSs road is paid within few
years from the savings in these dlrec-
tinnS "a Of I.Nin
tagonistic the farmers are aiding the
wheelmen wherever and whenever pos
sible, and many of the farmers organiz-
atoms, notably the National Farmers
Congress have officially endorced the
work being done by the League of
American Wheelmen. New Jersey and
Massachusetts have been foremost in
the work of building. and these two
States are almost grid-ironed with fine
stone roads. The farmers on the abut-
ting property are now leaders in
spreading the doctrine of highway i'm
provement, and oJher States are fall
ing in line.
The greatest impetus to this work
has been given under what is known
as the estate aid" principle. by which
is meant that the State pays large
portion of the cost of building the
roads and the county and property
owners defray the balance. In this way
the burden OF building rests upon the
people of the entire State. and the
share of expense allotted to the in
dividual property owner is so small
as to amount to almost nothing. In
New Jersey ii has been found that the
immediate outlay to the property own
er does not amount to more than the
annual road tax under the old condi-
tions. When this principle is applied
i'll other States and the Legislatures
make proper appropriations there will
be good highways that can be used,
whatever the weather.
At present % per cent. of our roads
are impossible six months in the year.
and the money expended upon them is
worse than lost. In some localities it
is the custom in repairing roads to
dump dirt into the holes and to level
of the high places. The next rainstorm
undoes all the work and the money ex-
pended is actually "washcd away" To
remedy these conditions. and to give
good roads, the L. A. w. has spent
this large amount of money, and it's
work has not been i'm vain. 1t has
opened new fields of endeavOr for our
Legislators and have placed the farm
ers, as well as wheemen, within reach
of having highways which will not be
ruined every time there is a rain.