Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-11-24
EDITOR WARNINGS ADDRESS.
County Roads a Feeder for Conn
mon Carriers Routes.

ming, editor of the Statesman,
before the State Good Roads
Association now in session in
Corvallis-we regret that lack ot
space prevented us from giving
the address entire:
In a. discussion of the question
embodied in nv subject it is nee
essary to consider the county
road as an independent branch Of
the general cormon carrier
route. That is, it is a branch OF
the railroad or steamboat route,
and in so considering it the nee
essity of calculating the relative
proportion of the cost of trans
portation of the product of the
producer and of those things the
producer requires which should
be credited or charged to the
country road, is evident. The
great trouble in our present
transportation system is that the
proportion of the cost of hand
ling freight and passengers on the
&C untry road or dirt road branch
of the system is excessive.
The cause and the remedy are
the proper things for discussion
in this and kindred conventions.
They are the matters at issue in
connection with this "good
roads" movement, and every
manner that may be suggested of
developing the proper plan for
overcoming the difficulties of
transportation from the barn OF
field to the final market where
consumption takes place, is
worthy of consideration by those
looking for light and mode of ad-
vancement.
As is the relationship of the
country to the town, the rural tc
the urban, SO is the wagon road
to the railroad or navieabie
waterway. We speak of rail.
ways and waterways as agencies
OF development, but we must moi
overlook the country road as the
original and perhaps pioneer
agency. Before railroads were
dreamed of, onr forbears devot.
ed their time and talents to the
development of the country ca,1
or wagon road, with a view te
making it meet the requirements S
OF permanency, and of utility al
all seasons of the year. Had we
not developed the railway, dc
any doubt that the great nationa
highway that was under con.
stru ,tion from Washington to St.
Louis, Missouri, would have
been extended to the Pacific
coast, and that others of a similar
character would have been bull
by the national government al
over the country, with a view tt
its development? Yet the rail
way, through rapidly develop
ing knowledge of the use of steam
power, soon relegated the nation
al highway as a route of trans
portatiou to the uses which have
been made of it and all othe
country roads ever since-that O.
feeders to the many lines tina
have been made to traverse thi
great continent, and of the waite
routes which connect with o
parallel them. The fact tha
speed became the recognized
mercantile unit of value in trans
portation was the Prime cause o
this, and the relegation OF th'
country road system to the ser
vice of feeders TO the more SPEEDY
system vas but the natural resul
of these conditions.
The producer has ever looke'
for a market for his product, ant
he early realized that the marke
NEST valuable to him was tha
one away from home, where hi
product was more in demand
and that he received better valn
for it when he took the produc
to the market than when he wait
ed for the market to come +
him. Perhaps in the latter cas-
he realized better prices occasion
ally, but more often he failed i
a market for reasons recognize
by all.
Railways and Improvement {
waterways have each worke