St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-08-02
THE COST or BAD ROADS.


fer enormous losses each year as the
result of bad roads" says Otto Dorner,
chairman of the L. A. w. highwayim i'm
proyement committee. But what do
these losses really amount to, and how
much would be saved If we had uni
tormly good roads? We may say that
it doesn't cost the farmer anything to
market his crops, because he does all
the hauling himself. True, but isn't
his time worth something? Suppose
that in place Of every ton Of wheat or
hay or potatoes loaded on his wagon
he was able, as a result Of good roads,
| to load up two tons and to market the
entire. crop Of his farm with just half
the labor and in just half the time
which is required at present, wouldn't
the amount of time he could save be
worth something, and wouldn't it be
worth saving? Labor Is the farmers
working capital, which he Is contin-
ually seeking to make as productive
| as possible.
| ing twice as much as heretofore with
given amount Of effort, it is to his
interest to discover and adopt it. Econ
omy of labor means additional acres
which he can find time to make pro-
ductive. The only way to compute the
value of labor Is to inquire what 1t
would cost If 1t had to be purchased.
1t has been found that IL the farmers
of the United States had to pay some
one else for marketing their crops it
would cost them on an average %
cents every time a ton was hauled
mile nearer to market. In other words,
it costs % cents per ton per mile.
say on an average, for it costs consid-
erably less IN many localities. Yet it
costs sufficiently more in many others
to make the average as large as stated.
taking an average of the number Of
miles they are travelled, it costs on an
average $500 per ton to bring them
from the farm to the railroad station.
1t costs only $1S7 in the northern and
eastern states, but in the Pacific coast
and mountain states 1t runs up as high
as $5.12. This, of course, is for the
value of the farmers time and that of
his team and wagon, or what he would
have to pay some one else, at fair
price, to do his hauling for him.
How was all this found out? 1t is
the result Of careful inquiries made by
the United States department of ag-
riculture and Of estimates received
from farmers in 1000 different coun-
ties throughout the United States in
reply to 10000 requests for such in
formation. These inquiries were made
for the simple purpose Of getting at
the facts in the matter, so that farmers
might know what could be saved by
the building of good roads and might
better be able to determine how much
they could afford to spend for building
them.
Further inquiries were made into
the cost of hauling crops in the good
roads districts of Europe. These were
made through the United States con-
suls stationed in various European cit
les, who were instructed to find out
the exact facts in the matter. 1t was
found, as a result of their investiga-
tons, that the average cost of market
ing ton Of farm produce in Europe
was only s 6-10 cents per mile as
against % cents in the United States.
1T appears, then, as the result Of
careful investigation, that it costs us
in the United States just about three
times as much to market our farm
crops as it does in European coun-
tries, where good roads have been
built. Farmers there are able to make
their loads three times as great as
ours, owing to better roads.
But we are not obliged to go to Eu-
rope for illustrations as to good roads.
for we have, fortunately, few locali-
ties in our own country which furnish
such examples. Mecklenburg county,
N. c., not long ago began the construc-
ton of a system Of macadam roads.
1t was customary there to load up two
bales of cotton on wagon to be hauled
by mule team. The mules could draw
this load very well during dry wealth
err. After a rain when the roads were
soft, the load was too much for even
pair Of tough mules. After the coun-
ty had begun to build roads this load
was doubled several times, and it was
found that the same two mules were
able to haul as much as u bales, or six
tons, in place of their former load,
which amounted to only single ton.
And more-the improved roads made
it possible to haul this load in wet and
dry weather alike, for, being properly
built of stone they were fit for use
Immediately after heavy rain.
"The office of road inquiry in the de-
partment Of agriculture has estimated
that over $600,000,000 might be saved
annually in the United States by the
construction of good roads. The sta
tistics of the department Of agricul-
ture show the total amount of all kinds
Of grain raised in the United States.
The amount consumed on the farms
was estimated as being offset by a
large amount Of other articles hauled
by farmers on the public roads, BY re-
ducing this all to tons and using their
inquiries into the cost Of hauling one
ton as basis it was found that the to-
tai cost of haulage amounted to S046,-
114 GG5 and that twO-thirds of this