The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-04-16


on the public. The farmer does not
calculate the wear and tear on his
horses and vehicles in transporting his
products from home and his purchases
to his home. He does not charge for
his time in travelling over the roads.
He Is generally in no particular hurry.
and would as soon make two trips TO
town as one trip. How to impress OH
him and the public generally the cost
Of bad roads and the profit of good
roads is a problem which Professor
Latta, of the Purdue University, of In
diana, undertook to solve. and he seems
to have solved it. He laid down the
proposition that permanent good roads
would benefit the farmers. hence the
communities. in five different ways. In
that they would
Economic time and force in trans.
portation between farm and market;
Enable the farmer to take advantage
of market fluctuations in buying and
selling:
Permit transportation Of farm prod.
ucts and purchased commodities dur
Ing times of comparative leisure
Reduce the wear and tear on horses.
harness and vehicles:
Enhance the market value Of real cs-
tate.
In order to ascertain from the farm
crs themselves the facts from which he
could reduce answers. affirmative or
negative. to his propositions. he adj
dressed to them the following iuterrog
atories:
l. About what proportion Of the
public highways in your county are
now good gravel roads?
.. Please estimate the average in
crease lin dollars and cents in the SELL
ing price per acre Of land throughout
The county. as the result of such gravel
roads.
3. If all the public roads in your
county We're converted into improved
highways. how much. in your iudC.
ment, would it increase the average
selling price per acre Of land through
out your county?
t. What would hc 4 fair estimate of
the cost per mile of converting our
common dirt roads as they now exist
into good gravel roads. provided, Of
course. the work were to be per-
formed economically under some com.
petent. general supervision, and not
hampercd by legal restrictions?
>. Surprising that your county were
divided into 1O0-acre farms. and that
the average distance of each farm from
market We're five miles. what. in your
Judgment. would he the average annual
cost Gn dollars and cents TO each farm
CT of our improved highways:
in answering the fifth question
please take into account the reduced
loads, increased time. extra wear and
tear. and loss in sales from inability to
deliver products when the market t.
best
Answers from forty counties in his
State, from which he was enabled to
approximate averages. were as follows:
|. The average estimated increase in
the selling price Of land due To existing
improved highways is S6.fS per acre.
The estimates from which this average
Is made refer in most cases to lands
near the improved roads. hut in few
instances they amply TO all the lands ot
the county. The average increase,
therefore. Of SG.4S per acre is lower
than was intended for the lands near
the improved roads.
=. 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 Stag per
mile.
!. The estimated average annual
loss. per 100 acres. from poor roads is
S76.2S.
He then remarks, as a result of these
figures:
If these estimates are even appvoXt.
mately correct they furnish n key to
the satisfactory solution of the ques.
tion of highway improvement from the
money standpoint. On the basis of the
last mentioned estimate the average
annual loss per acre from poor roads
is over seventy-siX cents. In five years
the losses would aggregate S2432 for
every section OF land, and this sum
would construct two miles ut a cost of
S1216 per mile. which is so per mile
above the estimated average cost given
by the farmers themselves. The pres
ent road tax. which, under existing
laws, is largely thrown away. would,
under proper system of road main
tenance, doubtless keep improved high
ways in perfect repair
If the foregoing statements are 4
near approach to the truth. IL follows
that the losses and expenditures which
farmers actually incur on account of
poor roads would also secure perman.
emily good roads. Can any sane mind
doubt the wisdom of exchanging the
losses. delays, accidents and veXation
of spirit. occasioned by bad roads, for
the comfort and other advantages of
good roads when the cost is the same?
From the investigations and labors
OF men Intellectually ana morally com.
petcnt to make them, the eXtravagant
cost OF bad roads is indisputably
proven. From the statements OF prison
officials and prison commissions, who
have had practical experience in work
ing convicts on the public roads. the
opinion is unanimous that the convict
thus employed Is of more value to the
public, is better treated and interferes
less with free labor, than In any other
wDV-Dallns (TeXls) News