Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1904-10-13
MUD COSTS MILLIONS
Enormous Sum Lost Annually
in Marketing Crops.

"The American people have reason tC
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 per-
son living in this country" said an offi-
cial Of the department Of agriculture
TO representative of the Washington
Star recently.
Every foreigner coming to this coun-
try is amazed on the one hand at our
general progressiveness and enterprise
and utterly disgusted on the other
hand at our almost total lack Of good
roads and our almost utter want OF ap-
probation Of the advantages of prop
erly improved highways. AS a result
Of this our deplorable roads have at
tained a worldwide renown, which
greatly detracts from our reputation of
being an exceptionally enlightened and
progressive people.
"The willing submission Of the Amer
lIAn Dfbllt W Nlit ilNNhiNSo anu
some condition of our country roads Is
d 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 improved road
ways over bad ones and the ease and
low cost by which the best of roads
may be secured.
at 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 so great in few years
as to equal the cost OF building the
the entire country. This remarkable
fact can only be accounted for as tho
result of our deplorable ignorance Of
the comparative economies. comfort'
and pleasures of good and bad roads.
at is conservatively estimated by
government officials that we are need
lessly losing or wasting over S6O0,OOO,-
600 each year because of our bad
roads, making a mud tax of over 81
100000 for every working day in the
year and an individual tax of nearly
IS each year for every person in this
country.
"This estimate is for the direct mon
ey loss and takes no account Of the in
ci1ontoI lisoIvrntagac lienotu forts
and inconveniences 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 SS an acre ON
the estimate of G40,0O0000 acres for
the country would amount to some
thing like $1,000 100000, or more than
enough TO build the best and finest
main roads In the wOrld-about 1,000,-
600 les-throughout the entire coun-
try several times over, and by recently
ue' eiopeti nie'iious III roau ou'iuihs the
pes' rouus can oe ouiit LOT d cost whicn isl
shouiu NOT eAceeu an average Oh SZ'Vo
nllle. ne interest on tnis sum OF
5000, 100000 at per cent would build
all the manly Travelled roads In the
country III less thah ten years ut a cost
Oh oiiy ~ per cent OF the increased
iarn Value.
i rom this II appears that we would
receive dement's from improving our
man roauS IN tne increase OF farm val.
ues alone equal TO Two and one-half
toiu' or 2oo per cent or their cost
"A direct saving OF 5000, 100000 a