The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-12
Kansas CITY Star.

over plne-COVered Hills, DelWeell
farms that should, be abandoned as
farms, thru villages, stone roads as
smooth as asphalt. Mile after mile OF
the same smooth, well drained wind |
ing roads-in better state than drive
ways in the usual city park. some
times they lead thru woods with not.
a house in sight, or over marshes 70 !"
Which no @one' would wssnt'stltle. 70
the <westerner, who knows only OF
roads builded by abuttinC property,
these highways of Massachusetts, be-
come a mystery. Who could build
roads thru miles of marsh land TO con,
meet one group Of summer notes ana
cottages with another? Who mann. 4
tains them in their perfect state?
Surely. if bonanza farms in the west
cannot build good roads, abandoned
farms and salt marshes cannot do. II
| inlthe east. a a 81,
| At intervals along the roads are
square stone posts bearing the letters
IN. III. B''i 1t did not require heavy.
brain work to read !. Massachusetts
highway board. That imperfect read
ling told the secret-state roads. Whlle
i "M, H. BE- Stands for Massachusetts
| highway boundary, and not for Mas
saehusetts highway bofgd, it,lndlcates
| that the state is actlfesafor the 70 Wits us
and villagsees in 'bllilding> roads EHT w
! The statehouse in Boston IS too
small to give office room to all OF the
state employees, SO the MassachusettS:
! highway commission is IN an onlce2
building near by There are three,
members of the commission, one APP
pointed each year by me goveIl'oi a. AZ
! the commonwealth Of Massachusetts.
The secretary is w E. McClintock.>
! who has been a member since 2tgthe'
commissions creation ten years ago.
For the Summer Visitors. z.r.
Summer visitors have been a great
/ factor in the good roads movement m
Massac husetts," said Mr.. McCllntock.s
! '"The. decline of the whaling Industry
and the salt industry left many COM
munities in bad state. Then your Dig
western farms made agriculture UNI
profitable in many portions OF the
State The fisheries, too, = declined
Outside Of the cities and the factory
! towns Massachusetts was becoming
| impossible to the man working Tor d
living In the last ten or twenty
years a new industry has developed
and it is doing much to take the place
l of the ones lost. ] mean the summer
visitors-peopIe from the cities VINO:
| go into the villages and small towns
to live during the summer months.
suppose there are 10000 who live
along the shore south of Cape Cod dur
| ing the summer-keep complete estab-
| lishments or live in the big hotels or
boarding houses. Then there is the
north shore--thousands OF summer
/ people. They come from everywhere
and live we'll.
."The effect of this new industry
! the summer boarder industry, II you
1 will call it that--has been sudden and
i positive The villages and towns that
1 were dead now enliven for three or four
4 months in a year and make enough 70
/ help along we'll in the other eight
1 months. Property along the coast and
i for ink We're
/ considered nearly worthless have made
Il. their owners independent. One OF my
i old friends owned a, farm on the south
i shore, for which he had paid 5000.
4 1t lost it's value when the western far1n
! products came into competition, ana
when he died there was little III 1t TO
promise a living to his daughter and
heir. couple of years ago she SOLD
a small portion of 1t for $5O, 0OO--
enough to give place ON the ocean
! front to d summer home and grounds
for a man who does not make MS
money in Massachusetts. mats What
the summer boarder has done In
Z greater or lesser degree all along the
Massachusetts coast.
OF Prifit to Massachusetts.
These summer people spend their
money freely, but they expect and re-
ceiye a. return for 1T. Many of them
bring horses and vehicles, and they
need good roads. We try to give EN-
to them. When this commission goes
before the assembly for. all a,ppropria-
s, ton this point is brought out square
": Summer visitors are profitable TO
Massachusetts; these roads are part
of the plan necessary to maintain the
summer industry. The lawmakers &C
cent that argument, too.
'sOf course, roads are not built alone
for the summer months, but that sea
Z son is a great factor in the movement
EVERY years more visitors are coming
: to the Massachusetts coast or to the
I, hills. and after a season or two many
: buy land and build summer homes
An old farmhouse in a. good location
is looked upon as a prize. Every veal
: proves that Massachusetts coast prop
erty is a most profitable investment
I told you of one instance in my ex-
perience, and there are many more
, You see, the American people are be
ginning to take a rest occasionally
: they have grown wealthy enough TIC
afford it. Every year this class is In
creasing, and as summer approaches
the seashore comes to mind. There
. is something in the air on this coast
that makes the people rest; the bust
est Of men forget to worry IN thai
sleepy atmosphere. You can't helI
| but rest.
|, uco we are doing everything posi-.