The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-01-01
BETTER ROADS NEEDED.
0ne of the 7ost Important Cues
tons of Modern
Times,
CONGRESS SHOULD ACT WITHOUT DELAY
The Brownlow Bill, Now Before That
Body For Consideration, VIII Mean a
Direct Saving of Millions of Dollars to
the People of This Country.

the People of This Country.
hs"The American people have reason
to appreciate the fact that the good
roads question appears at last to be
taking on thoroughly practical as
pect, with promise OF great benefit to
every person living in this country"
said an official of the Department of
Agriculture.
Every foreigner coming to this
country is amazed On the one hand at
the general progressiveness and enter
prise, and utterly Disguised 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 world renown,
which greatly detracts from our rep
utation of being an exceptionally en-
lightened and progressive people.
THE willing submission OF the
American people to the needless and
burdensome condition OF our country
roads is a remarkable circumstance
Careful study of this matter seems to
indicate that this is wholly due to
lack of knowledge and appreciation
of the comparative benefits of i'm
proved 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 popularity
of the road moYemant in the State Of
New York during the past four years.
The first roads were built in New York
by State aid in 1899, when only $7O.-
900 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 receiv-
ed petitions from the counties of the
State for building 2,007 miles of roads
to cost about s16,00O,OOO, an increase
OF 230 fold, or $4,000 per cent. in 4
years. From this it would appear
that the enormous advantages of i'm
proved roads can be fully realized by
the average American only by actual
personal experience and observation.
1T is wholly inconsistent with the
characteristic enterprise of Americans
that they should willingly submit to
the continuous and needless losses
due to lack of good roads, especially
when these losses are 80 great in a
few years as to equal the cost of build
ing the finest roads in the world
throughout the entire country. This
remarkable fact can only be accounted
for as the result of our deplorable ig-
norance of the comparative econom-
les, comforts and pleasures of the
good and bad roads.
1T is conseryatively estimated by
government officials that we are need
lessly losing or wasting over 5000, 0OO,-
600 each year because Of our bad roads
making a mud tax of over $4,000, 900
for every working day in the year and
an individual tax of nearly S. each
year for every person in this country.
"This estimate is for the direct
money loss and takes no account of
the Incidental disadvantages, discom-
forts and inconvenience of bad roads,
which would probably exceed the di-
rect moneyed loss. Besides this, the
increased values of farms reached by
good roads would amount to an enor-
nous sum. In New York and other
States this increase in selling values
has equaled from $25 to 500 an acre
in many cases.
AN increase of only So an acre on
the estimate of 640,OOO,O0O acres for
the country would amount to some
thing like $5,000,0 0O,O 900, or more than
enough to build the best and finest
main roads in the world-about one
million miles-throughout the entire
country several times over, by the
brick track road system by which the
best roads in the world can be built
for cost which should not exceed an
average Of $4,000 mile. The interest
on this sum of $4,000, 600, 900 at A per
cent. would build all the mainly trav-
eled roads in the country in less than
ten years at cost of only 40 per cent.
of the increased farm value.
From this it appears that we
would receive benefits from improv-
ing our main roads in the increase of
farm values alone equal to two and
one-half fold, or $50 per cent of their
cost.
"A direct saving Of 5000, 600, 900 a
year figured at per cent. interest,
would carry a cost of $12, 900, 900.