The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-05-22

expense; and it is but fair to say that
the actual appreciation of property
due to the increased values of lands
benefited by the improved roads
meets the increased taxes already.
As an advertising medium alone they
have been worth what they cost; for
they lave brought county property
into enYiable prominece, have al
ready caused the sale of many resi-
Dental sites, have brought new wealth
and new enterprise in the midst of
us, haye given direct impetus to
building and improvements in every
city and town touched by them, and
as yet the benefits are only beginning
to be realized. 1t is safe to say that
the citizens and tax payers of Union
county would not go permanently
back to the old system with its old
roads, if they were paid many times
the cost of the new roads"
Prof. w. G. Latta, of Purdue Uni
versity, Indiana, collected some i'm
portant information of the subject.
The average estimated increase in
the selling price of land due to exist
ing improved highways is s64S per
acre. The estimates from which this
average is made refer in most cases
to lands near the improved roads;
but in few instances they apply to
all the lands of the county. The av-
erage increase, therefore, of $6.4S per
acre is lower than was intended for
the lands near the improved roads.
'(2) The estimated average increase
per acre that would result from i'm
proving all the public roads is 50.
"(3) The estimated average cost of
converting the common public roads
into improved highways is 81, 146 per
mile.
20 The estimated average annual
loss per 100 acres, from poor roads is
$76.2s.
The farmer may object that the in
NiOoSCd VI VIII ttlltCU
him, not by increasing it's product
ivness, but by increasing the taxes;
the annual increase in the taxes
would be quite insignificant on the
above increment in value. The in
crease in the value of the land does
not come merely from the pleasure of
having good roads, but is due to the
cheapening of the processes of raising
or marketing the product. In other
words, the increased taxes are more
than balanced by the saying in vari-
GUS expenses and the increased value
of the land may be looked upon as
bonus resulting from its greater earn
ing capacity.
In order to obtain information more
directly applicable to our own State,
large number of farmers were asked
their opinion on this subject, and the
universal answer was that the lands
would increase in value, though the
estimates varied greatly. Some good
roads have already been built and
their effect on land values is quite
definite. One of our correspondents
who lives near Bradshaw, Baltimore
county, at which place an excellent
piece of macadam road was laid down,
states that he hauls twice as much
oyer this road in half the time as he
formerly did and with less wear and
on his team and wagon. He says that
the land has doubled in value. This
is the result of very short piece of
good road. Another correspondent
tells us that he added $3.50 to about
an equal amount paid by the county
in improving a certain road. He now
hauls twice as many and heavier
loads to the market daily He thinks
the improvement has doubled the
value of his land and calls it the best
investment he eyer made. The farms
in Howard county situated ON the
turnpikes are said to be worth twice
as much as those on the county roads;
and a Frederick county farmer thinks
his land would increase at least so per
cent if good roads were made, basing
his opinion on the price of land of
equal quality not five miles distant
situated on good stone roads, and he
adds that he never saw prosperous
section of the country that did not
have good roads. Another farmer in
Prince Georges county states that
the land in his neighborhood sells at
from $12 to $50 per acre, whereas the
land near Forestville in the same
county, with better roads, brings
from $40 to 800.
Opinions of this kind based on def
mite data could be multiplied, but
enough has been given to show con-
clusively that the building of good
roads would result in decided increases
in land values, which would be to the
benefit not merely of the State or
those desiring to sell, but also those
holding and farming in the land.
w. B. S.
Zinc and Grinding Make