The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-06-03
GOOD ROADS NOTES


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Good Roads and State Aid.
| The following Is an abstract Of an
article by Otto Dorner in the Forum
tor February, 1899:
10 has been said that before We
could thoroughly realize the difficulty
OF hauling on our common country
roads. one Of two things had to hap
pen: either the horse must learn to
talk, or else we must take his place
on the wagon; and that the latter 90.
CURED when we learned to ride the
bicycle. The League of American
Wheelmen, with q membership which
has grown beyond he.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 Roads magazine, which has
been merged more recently into the
L. A. w. Bulletin and Good Roads.
Its weekly Official organ. The L. A.
w. sends its emissaries to good roads
conventions and to the more impor.
tant farmer gatherings, and the high.
way laws OF q number of States have
been improved through its efforts.
Its latest undertaking is the print
ing OF q million illustrated good
roads pamphlets, and their circu-
lation, BY mail, among farmers whose
addresses are being gathered by the
thousands Of L. A. w. officials. The
first three hundred thousand of these
pamphlets have already been printed |
and mailed.
1.-The losses from bad roads in the |
United States are enormous, The |
United States Office 81 Road INQUIRY
explains that our average load of
crops weighs practically q ton. while
IN Europe it is upwards of four tons,
and often six tons. John M. Stahl.
editor OF the Farmers Gall, estimates
that the annual cost of wagon trans-
portatlon OF the country is 5000. OOO..
900, OF which $500, 600, 900 might be
saved. General Roy Stone, Chief of
the Road Inquiry Office, has verified
this by careful computations, and re.
ports that the total haulage ON the
public roads each year is 313, 349, 227
tons, costing $946, Ala, 665.54, which
over one third Of the total
value of farm products. He states
that nearly two-thirds of this cost is
due to bad roads.
"The average farmer resents any
with his bodybuilding
methods, which he considers pecu-
iarly his own affair. No reform,
therefore, can be forced upon him,
and any successful plan of road i'm
provement must leave it optional
With him to avail himself of its pro-
visions. The initiative must be left
IN his hands. The State-aid system
seems to have solved the problem to
he farmers satisfaction. This sys-
EN- has been adopted in several
States, but is most successfully in
operation in New Jersey, where it
vas introduced through the combined
efforts of the League of American
Wheelmen and the leaders among the
armers. This system divides the
'ost of road improvement between the
State, the county and the abutting
owners. Improvements are 9
made only upon petition from the
after. The feature of the State-aid 1,
ystem which appeals most strongly
o the farmers is the fact that city
ax-payers, large property-holders and r
Vealthy corporations are made to con-
ribute to the cost of improved coun- :,
~ roads, through the taxes and Ii y
ense fees now paid into the State .,
reasury. The Farmers National =
congress, the most powerful agricul-
ural body in the United States,
assed resolutions last December
trongly endorsing State aid as the
olution of the good roads problem,
nd commanding the efforts of the
league of American Wheelmen to
ring about it's general introduction.
he National Road Parliament, con-
isting almost entirely of farmers,
assed similar resolutions st its last
nnual meeting"