Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-08-03
WORK ON GOOD ROADS,
THE BURLINGTON ROUTE is
WORKING IN THE INTEREST
9F THIS MOVEMENT.
Distributing Pamphlets Which Tell Of
How Much Value They Are to a
COMMUNICATIVE it Affects the
Commercial Interests.

A literary crusade on the subject OF
good roads has been started by the
Burlington system. 1t is another
movement fostered by this company to
better the conditions of the roads of
the country and it is being most eff
lectively carried on by the means of
circulating pamphlets on the subject.
The circulars tell of the split rail
drag which is SO useful and economi-
raj an instrument in the cause Of good
roads, and then continues as follows:
"The country towns Of the farming
sections Of the middle west will not
longer submit to the embargo of bad
roads. Where there are no manufact
uring or mining enterprises these
towns exist simply to supply the
wants of the farmer by the prosper
ity Of the farmer. There is just so
much business to do, and it can be
done at the minimum Of expense,
only when it is equally distributed
throughout the year. There is no
profit to the merchant, to the miller,
to the lumberman, to the elevator,
or to the bank, if all forces have to
lie idle while the bottom is out of the
road and work double time when there
is a period Of good roads. This ex-
plains the deep interest of the towns
visited by the Northwestern : good
road special, and why they were so
willing to subscribe literally for
prizes to be offered for the best mile
and second best mile Of road made
with the split log drag and best half
mile on each rural route in the coun-
kry tributary to the town
Affects Business.
"They realize that they can have no
business except what the farmers
bring to them; that the good roads
leading to the town measure the
amount of business and therefore they
are disposed to pay literally for i'm
provement of the roads half way to
their competing town, knowing that
by doing SO they can draw trade from
other towns. Competing towns cannot
afford to have, this trade drawn from
them, for the business of the farmer
is the life of the town. That business
withdrawn either by strong COMPETE
ton or by better roads to another
town means the death of the town, the
legend, ITO Let" on store buildings
and houses and permanent deprecia-
ton of the property. AS the Iowa cen
sus now being taken shows few of
these towns have increased in popula-
ton in the past five years, nor will
they in the next five except they in
duce the farmers to mend the high
ways leading into the town.
This also explains why the rail
roads take such deep interest in this
good roads movement They realize
that before they can load freight it
must be brought in on the farmers
wagon. If the farmer is unable to de-
liver it, the railroad cannot carry it,
hence when the bottom is out of the
roads it's cars lie idle on the side-track
its engines lie idle in the engine
house, its crews are laid off. When
the roads become good, the traffic
which should have been distributed
throughout the year, pours in. 1t is
not able to furnish enough cars or
crews, a car famine is the result,
when the produce finally reaches the
great central market the very abund-
ance of it reduces the price all of
which falls at the last upon the
farmer