The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-23

Eight years ago M. John ". Stahl. ed
itor Of the Farmers Cali and secretary
OF the Farmers National Congress, made
an estimate Of The losses sustained 10y the
farmers Of the country by reason OF BAD
roads Mr. Stahl took mis- da,a from Off
cial figures wherever practicable. from
the data Of the Interstate Commerce Com
mission and toe Eleventh census. lie
reached The conclusion that The annual
cost OF wagon transportation OF the coua-
try was $3.50 10000. and that if all of the
road improvements were made that could
proftabiy he made. the annual saving to
the people would BE- $Jo0WJC0l' These
figures appeared SO large THAI MIR. s,ahi
hcsitated for long time 10 give them
publicity He held them for months TO
verify them. and the accumulated evidence
went to show that they were approx
mately correct. Subsequent TO the.r pub
licaton they were attacked as being eX-
cessivc, but nobody has yet been able TO
show wherein they are radically wrong.
The mass of testimony goes to show be-
yond dispute that bad roads are extreme
ly costly, and that if they were made
good roads the saving that would result
in three, five or ten years would more
than pay the expense OF the improvement.
The agricultural department four years
ago made an investigation relating 10 the
use Of the common roads Of the United
States. Returns We're received from about
1900 counties, showing the average length
OF haul from farm to market or shipping
point 10 be twelve miles. The average
weight of load for two horses was found
TO lie 2,O02 pounds and the average cost
per ton per mile % Gems, On 81 for the
entire haul Farm produces We're at that
time estimated at 2l9S2f227 tons in weight,
aud making estimates on other articles
carried over the public roads, it was cal
cuIatod that the aggregate expense Of this
transportation in the Unitcd States in 1891
was nearly 1916, 10000 per annum. Coliat-
eral Investigations made abroad by the
United States Office OF Road Inquiry
showed that the average loads Of crops
hauled in Europe 10 be upwards OF four
tons. I'm the consular district of Munich
Germany. the average load was five and
one-half tons, and in the district of Han
over it was practically six t0ns-loads
which good teams there hauled for an all
day trip. The consular reports also show
ed that while the cost of hauling by Team
was estimated al % cents per ton per mle
in the United States, il was only SO cents
per mile in Europe. These figures are
sufficient to show in very strong light
what the farmers and producers Of the
United States have TO pay Fer year for
The privilege of travelling over the worst
roads in The world speaking of them in
a collective sense.
The advent of the automobile vehicle
makes it a matter of interest TO speculate
upon the present cost of farm transporta-
ton over poor roads with horses, and
what the cost would be over good roads
in mechanically propelled vehicles For it
is foregone conclusion that the MOTOR
wagon for general carrying purposes is in
the immediate future Within a few years
this wagon win dsplaee the horse for
transportation on the farms of the most
progressive farmers, just as the automo-
BILE buggy and carriage are displaciug
the horse as tine motive power of pleasure
vehicles in The cites. The cost or tuel Tor
a gasoline automobile is estimated at one
half cent per mile of distance run for a
load of three TO five tons, or say on the
basis of average length Of haul in the
United States Of Twelve miles, cents for
the twelve miles carrying three TO five
tous, as against So for the twelve niles
carrying three TO five tons with horses.
To the cost of hauling by automobile, Of
course, must be added larger wages for
the driver than the average team driver
receives. since more intelligence is re-
CURED but it is not to be overlooked that
the horseless vehicle viii run the twelve
miles in one hour, whereas ii would take
two horses at least three hours 10 make
the Trip The automobile, therefore, viii
do three times the work of the team al
an expense of 50 per cent. less