Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-10-12

waste Of public money collected for the
benefit 81 highways. sufficient sums
nave been appropriated and misspent
and there has been sufficient labor along
futile lines In every State In the Union
during the past century TO have given
this country the best roads I'm the world
And vet. barring the recent improve
melt In several Statcs-an Improvement
which Affects only about two per cent
Of the road systems OF the entire c0un-
try-there are no good roads There are
plenty uf fair-weather roads, good In
dry seasonsbut these in winter weather
are anything but passahle. In many
states most OF the farmers and resi-
dents OF the smaller villages are com.
pietely isolated for periods varying from
two 90 six weeks during the worst Of the
winter season And yet among these
very people has existed the greatest OPP
position 10 the expense OF building a
good highway
Strange as this may seem on first ap.
pearances, 10 Is not so strange when the
general ignorance concerning the sim
pie method Of building and the modest
cost that attaches to a mile Of good road
Us taken into consideration. Farmers
generally would like 10 have good roads
but they imagine that their presence
means an intolerable burden OF taxa
ton. They DO not stop 90 consider the
intolerable tax they are paying Ia loss
of opportunity for want OF them Thus
the farmers of New Jersey did not dis.
cover what they had lost until a few
model roads were built n their terri.
tory, when the truth concerning pre-.
lious disadvantages became startlingly
plain. Ia answer 90 q general inquiry
sent out by the chairman OF the New
Jc seN SKATE hJaru OF agriculture. as to
whether the roads had worked an i'm.
pIoycment in their conditions. hundreds
vi replies We're received-all Of them
3fiirmati0us and some so concise that
they may wei serve as illustrations Of
lhe value OF the whole movement. one
wrote
we are very proud of the country
road In our neighb0rho0d so recently
put in shape Even before il was laid
ny the state property near Il advanced
nearly fifty per cent in value. A case
in point is that of a piece Of property
right here which could have been
bought for $50 600 before the road was
built and only q few DAYS ago the
owner was offered $4,000 for The same
farm, and it is two miles away from
any railroad station There are many
more cases here Of the same sort We
favor good roads
Another wrote:
Good stone roads-aud stone seems
to be- the only way OF making roads
permanently go0d-ure OF great inn.
porignce and benefit 10 US farmers TO
make any profits we must haul heavy
loads. With the taxes ] pay II Is but
just that I be- able 90 20 10 and from
town with ass great a load as my team
can haul through town. without having
90 use four extra horses 90 insure cet-
ting through the sand We ought 10
DE able 90 work our teams an the year
round instead Of having 20 keen IDLE
while the frost comes out of the
ground
The average farmer out West has 10
haul his product and supplies about five
miles. His teams are good. but they
haul on the average less than a ton
perhaps not more than three -fourths OF
% ton-a load. The time required %
make the trip averages close upon
Of a day During hauling
season wages are highland the expense
)f the short hau' from farm 10 sta
ton is made heavier than for the 'long
haul that follows by rail or boat. The
substantial Improvement OF the roads
means that just twice as much can be
hauled by any given number Of horses
% just half the time. and that at any |
period when horses are not needed on |
he farm-a thing which Is never pOssi- |
bic with a poor road rOr this is the |
worst Of the whole bad-road system. !
lamely that when Il is good enough |
% haul over them, the farm Is good |
nough 20 work on, and horses and |
wagons are needed there When they |
re impossible, because Of mud and |
water. the farm Is also unavoidable, and |
lorses and wagons are idle Thus. says
writer on the subject In Parsons
Magazine, a double injury is worked.
IL has been figured by an expert OF I
DE government of Minnesota that N
My the worst places ia an the roads OF
hat commonwealth could be repaired
stretches Of ruts and hollows which
geregate only a sixth Of all the road
llleage or the state, Il would enable |
3rmers 20 haul a third more Of load
nd TO haul II az a third less time
This means" he says. THAT where
now takes three-fourths OF "a day TO
aul thirty bushels Of wheat or pota- |
pes, forty bushels could be hauled lust
5 easily In half a day, or eighty bush
Il a day, II necessary II means that
here 10 now costs SO 10 market three
'urths Of a ton 20 would then cost hut
20 market q tou-a saving OF half the
Expense. 10 means the extension OF tho
luling system 20 suit the convenience
tho former and an opportunity 10
Re advantage Of the market. As IL
ands now. the markets take advan-
.re Of him. IL means a net saving Of
least 10 per cent Of the value OF hla
'oducts II he Vas making money be-
re, II means double profits now: n he
as running behind, IL opens the way
Il lin 70 retrieve his losses and .at on
the world"
All this for the repair Of one-slxth NJ
10 roads OF state, and yet this As but
suggestion NJ the actual and enormous
.vantages which Invariably follow.
lday the average farmer Is either
mpeliel TO haul bis fifty cent wheat
market before the rnir comes. or hold
@ crop until the following May. when 4
may DE worth much less. The Inter- /
adate good prices might as wen new {
exist go FAR as he Is concerned. The /
ndiuon ot the roads stops him from
king advantage " them.
Il Is estimated by the secretary OF the
ltional Farmers congress that Inc
lyon transportation Of the United I
ates amounts annually to 500 600 0OO
rs that this has 10 be moved an aver.
e distance Of eight miles; that II costs
average Of g per ton 20 move Il: and u
AZ this IL sixty per cent more than II 4
Iuld cost n we had good roads ali