Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-02-26

TIE expense Oh ROAD CONSTRUCTION. 1t
is interesting to speculate as to what
part of the s440,OO0,00O expended I'M
der river and harbor appropriations
would have been spent if the local in
terests served had been required in
that case also to bear half the ex-
pense. AS a matter of fact, good roads
are more necessary to rural prosperity
than improved waterways: the tax i'm
posed by bad local roads is far more
crushing on the locality in question
than any probable tax in the way of
excessive freight charges resulting
from lack of waterway competition.
This tax of bad roads is strikingly
illustrated by a statement prepared by
Prof. Lewis c. NJ. Haupt, the engineer
member Of the isthmian canal COM
mission, to illustrate the necessity for
waterways. Grouping the various
commodities of commerce into appro-
pirate divisions, and assuming the
margin available for carrying charges
to equal the cost of production, he pre-
sents the following showing, the first
column representing margin for trans
pOrtation:
Margin road R'y Canal
per ton miles miles miles
For'st prod's.. $3.50 % 764 1928
Agr'1 prodts.. 1900 rs 2,640 1920
Manufac'rs >. 1850 "A $50 7,71O
Merchandise 1890 612 21.250 $3.50
This table shows in a forcib man
ner the tax which conveyance over
ordinary roads imposes on farm pro-
ducts, and sets out in strong light the
interest which the American farmer
has in any proposition which will re-
duce the tax of bad roads. His inter
est in water competition or even in
railway freight rates is actually small
in comparison with the vital import
ance of the best possible system of
public roads.
The farmers Of the country are more
than entitled to the small measure of
bill, and they should energetically
urge upon congress it's passage. They
should demand it, not as a gratuity or
as special legislation for them, but as
a right and general legislation for the
public good The farmer is far from
being the sole beneficiary of good
country roads; the whole body of cit
iZenship has the same interest that it
has in any agency leading to the de-
velopment of the cOuntrys resources.
Despite this obvious fact, for three
quarters of a century the farmer has
been asked to pay all the cost of road
building, to tax himself for improved
From an economic stand
point the expectation that the farmer
shall alone pay for country roads is
ity. In New York, Pennsylvania and
New Jersey, state aid in road building
is now extended, it being recognized
that as good roads directly affect the
general public, their cost should be in
part borne by general taxation. The
proper procedure at this time should
be for the country population to insist
upon the passage of the BrOwnlow
BILL so that national aid might bear
half the expense; then insist upon
such state legislation as would secure
one-fourth of the cost from general
state taxation, thus leaving one-fourth
of the cost to be borne by purely local
taxation levied upon property directly
affected. Such division of the ex-
pense of building good roads would
seem air and equitable in view of the
relative interest and the relative abil-
ity to pay of the various elements of
our population-The Country Gentle
man.