The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1903-01-21
sErrEn RoADsNrEDE
one of the Most Important Ques-
lions or Modern Times-COn-
gress Should Act without


gress Should Act Without
- Delay. -
THE American people have rea-
SON to appreciate the fact that the
good roads question appears at
last to be taking on thoroughly
practical aspect, with promise of
great benefit to every person living
in the country" said an official of
the Department of Agriculture.
Every foreigner coming to this
country is amazed on the one hsnd
at the general progressiveness and
enterprise, and utterly disgusted
on the other hand at our almost
utter want of appreciation Of the
advantages of properly improved
highways. AS a result of this our
deplorable roads have attained a
worldwide renown, which greatly
detracts from our reputation of be-
ing an exceptionally enlightened
and progressive people.
1.-The willing submission of the
American people to the needless
and burdensome condition of our
country roads is a remarkable cir
cumstance. Careful study of this
matter seems to indicate that this
is wholly due to lack of knowledge
and appreciation of the compare.
tive benefits of improved roadways
over bad ones and the ease and low
cost by which the best of roads
may be secured.
This has been demonstrated by
the wonderful growth in popular
ity of the road movement in the
State of New York during the past
four years. The first roads were
built in New York by State aid in
1869, when only $4,000 was spent
under State aid in the building of
fifteen miles of country roads.
One-half of the cost is paid by the
State and one-half by the counties
and towns in which the roads are
built. On December LIST, 1902, the
New York State engineer had re-
oeived petitions from the counties
of the State for building 2,OO7
miles of road to cost about S16,-
100000, an increase of 230 fold, or
$4,000 per cent in four years
From this it would appear that the
enormous advantages of improved
roads can be fully realized by the
average American only by actual
personal experience and observa-
ton.
1T is wholly inconsistent with
the characteristic enterprise of
Americans that they should will
ingly submit to the continuous and
needless losses due to lack of good
roads, especially when these losses
are so great in a few years as TO
equal the cost of building the finest
roads in the world throughout the
entire country. This remarkable
fact can only be accounted for as
the result of our deplorabIe igno-
rance of the comparative econom-
les, comforts and pleasures of the
good and bad roads.
at is conservatively estimated
by government officials that we are
needlessly losing or wasting over
S600.000,OOO each year because of
our bad roads making a mud tax
of over 100000 for every work.
ing day in the year and an indi-
vidual tax of nearly So each year
for every person in this country.
This estimate is for the direct
money loss and takes no account of
the incidental disadvantages, dis
comforts and inconvenience of
bad roads, which would probably
exceed the direct moneyed loss.
Besides this, the increased values
of farms reached by good roads
would amount to an enormous sum.
In New York and other States this
increase in selling values has
equaled from $25 to 500 an acre
in many cases.
IAN increase of only So an acre
on the estimate of 100000 acres
for the company would amount to
something like S5,OOo,OOO,OOO, or
more than enough to build the best
and finest main roads in the world
about one million miles