The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-06-13

Fl The Oregon Good Roads Conventio
will convene in Portland next Monday 10
n three days session. Fifteen delegate
have been selected to represent Clat
sop county at the convention. II ia I,
be hoped that all OF these delegates vii
attend and receive the benefit of the In
formation that will be derived. Clatsol
county is in need of good roads, Ba,
roads constitute an evil which the r,ra
population has grown so accustomed /,
all over the county that it has become q
habit to endure them without comment
one draw back To the building OF county
roads in Clatsop county is the almost In,
evitable demand by some of the farmer.
for damages, when, in reality. every
farmer is benefited 10y the building of n
good road to his farm more than the los,
OF few acres of land. Another matter
that has retarded roadbuilding in Clatsop
county is the large amount Of money in
vested with no appreciabe results. There
were too many supervisors that lived oil
the county.
Bad roads are injurious to horses. II
the horses and other live stock were abls
to talk, what tale OF suffering they
could tell. Wadeing knee deep in mud.
climbing steep hills and jumping bridges
nearly ready to collapse have been the
necessities OF going to town for every
farm horse once upon time during his
life. For every road has experienced IT,
evil days, no matter how well il may
now be improved. Who suffers, The
horse suffers personal injury; the farmc@
and other industries only suffer financial
injuries. Rad roads stagnate business.
They injure the social and educational
life on the farm. They spoil the social
pleasures of people living in smaller
towns who often wish to ride into the
country and visit their rural friends.
And furthermore, bad roads are expen.
siye. The cost Of road transportation is |
today Just three times as great a. il
would be If we had good roads all over
Clatsop county. The average life Of the
farm horse Is shortened several wears by /
the bad roads; live stock is generally
lessened in flesh, and farmers wonder
why Astoria butchers will not buy their
beef cattle. The average speed over a
country road today is about 4 miles an
hour with farm wagon. With a good
team OF horses it is possible to drive
twelve miles an hour.
Another detrimental feature Of roads
n Clatsop county is hill climbing. Some
armers refuse to donate an acre or two
If ground for level road and compel
hem to be built over hills. Hill climb,
ng as all horse owners know is hard on
he animal. 1t reduces the flesh very
quickly. The roads of the county should
'e in such condition as to do away with
III steep inclines. The life of horse
night be extended several years and the
Ost of his feed would also be lessened in
he improvement and alignment of these
efects.
Bad roads prevents immigration. East.
rn farmers who are accustomed to drive
EN- and fifteen miles to town in little
'ver an hour are not going TO buy farms
n county where it takes all day TO
rayel thirty miles, necessitating two
lays in making round trip and the ex-
'ense of remaining in the city over night.
Young boys who are raised on farm
,ecome disguised with farm life for this
'eason. There is no inducement for
hem TO either farm the homestead or
Iuy an adjacent farm and the result il
hey seek the cities for employment and
he farming industry Of the country IL
decreasing. Clatsop county has the best
md most productive agricultural and
Iairying lands Of any county in thu
United States. A failure Of crops was
ever known. The climatic conditions
re perfect, but all Of these inducements
re offset by bad roads and the inability
o get farm produce to market.
There are not to exceed two hundred
lrmers in Clatsop county with land sur
Gent to support two thousand. If
lere were two thousand farmers in the
'unty, the cost Of road building would
2 less as there would be more people Ia
and the expense Instead Of sending
lousands of dollars away from Astoria 4
'ery year for farm produce, every dollar
ould be spent among the farmers and
ould be returned TO the merchants in
'cessities Of life, building material. ma.
inery, tools, farm wagons and buggies
ssides, it would bring in thousands Of