The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1905-01-10

can draw twice a1 much en- a well.
made gravel road and four times az
much on smooth stone road as On
4 well-made earth road The differ
cnes III cost of moving crops III Etur
opean countries ana ,hc cost here
which is twelve and half oan.s per
ten per mile. multiplied by the ag
gregate number Of { MS Of our pro
ducts, ccnstitiiut Il enormous AMI
useless tax uro car pri9 eipal in
dustries. TIE ! 81 involved is paid
for BIZ our VIII 9 9gople, because the
vast bulk of / lie products Of our
state mrst be ii' moved over our
bad country roads to railroads,
steamships and markets We can be-.
ter realize what this means when we
consider that T. costs as much to de-
liver a bushel OF grain ten miles To
the railroad in Illinois as ii then
costs TO carry it a thousand miles by
rail.
Other states. confronted by like
conditions. have made greater efforts
.han linois 20 remedy them In our
state the local authorities are ham.
1ered by an insufficiens supply Of
roney and lack of suitable mater al
fcr making permanent improvement
ID the roaar and too Frequently by
a lack of scientific knowledge of r9a3
ouilding Tee labor performed main
aims for one feasoa cniy passable
1cndition Of the r. added 1t is est
mated that 100000 is expended an
nually in this state fer this purpose
vita little or no permanent advan-
ago.
II is not necessary 70 advance any
argument 20 show tina, the burden Of
.oadmaking houll net f2l on the
farmer alons The road is a p.btc
'g1way Il is a state road III
maintenance aad improvement Is q
mater CT general concern Other
states are attempting to solve this
problem by what is known IS tbe
STATE aid" plan, in which the burle1
Is borne by the whole people.
Within the past ten years Maine.
New Hampshire, Vermont, Ma sa.
eausc,tc, Rhode Island, Connec ieat
New York, Pennsylvania Delaware
md California have established high
way commissions, and are assisting
he counties, towns and town HIP ty
., tate aid"
New oYrk last year appropriated
100000 as "stasc aid" for read bal
re. That q ate i"as Appropriated al
ogether s2,0G5000 for state ala" A.
he last soss ion Of the New York Leg
s'a.ure an act was passed proposing
! constitutional amendment whiti
lrEldes that the tate may bonl it
elf for $5,C9O,000 a year for ten
years for the building Of wagon roads
In 1903, Pennsylvania created G
i;ate highway commission and ap
propriated sG.500o0O TO lie appof-
1ortoned amorg the, different co IN.
ties as state aid' inproeorti1n Of
mileage of roads in each county. anJ
TO be expended during a perlcd o.
ix years
Under Gail issued by the las
agiclature of Ohio a safe good r1ads
convention was held at Columbus on
February Is, 1904, which convenii2s
adopted resolutions in favor OF a
state aid law then pending before
he legislature.
massachusetts appropriates annual
ly 100000 for "a;ata aid" II has
appropriated already fer the building
Of roads the aggregate sum Of S49i0.
900. Its last giflature appropriated
S2,250,0O0 to be expended for state
highways during the next FIVE years
New Jersey appropria.es S250000
annually toward the building Of gooi
roads. It has appropriated during the
pas. ten years S1,515,lGS for that pur
Do5e.
Connecticut appropriate $225,G09
per annum rs "rtate aid Since 1895
it has appropriated s1.538910 for tia
purpose.
A recent lcgi. laturc in Florida set
aside for the improvement OF wagon
roads the Indian War Claims, which
amount 20 s509,0t0
The last legislature of Rhole lslaud
appropriated $l000e0 Tor the con
structlun and maintenance Of high.
ways under the direction If tho state
board &C public raads.
Vernon. appropriated annuciiy
about $4,000 for Ike purpooe
Departments of Highway for he
gathering of information regarding
the construction and man'enace Of
good roads, and the deyising Of pam
to effect beginning Of such worA,
have been established in California
Delaware. Idaho, Maine, Narylsna.
Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nell
raska. New Hampshire. North Caro-
lima, Oregon and Tennessee.
. In Illinois, the last Legislature en-
acted a law for the appointment Of
Good Roads Commission TO inves
tigate the question of good roads and
determine the best methods by which
the burden of road building may be
equitably distributed among all tle
people. such a. by federal state and
county aid That Commission was d.
rected 20 report its findings to this
Assembly, together with a hi EN-.
bodying the most advanced thought
ON the subject of road buldiUg.
The report viii be submitted 20 You
In considering tho rccomHfnda.ion
which they may make, J desire e.