The Ellensburg dawn. [volume] (Ellensburg, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-09-04
ELLENsBuRc. K1rr1rAs COUNTY, WASH, SEPT. 4, 1906
HINTS TO TRRESHERMEN
Good Reasons Suggested Why Thrssterman
Should be Highway Builders.

Tie following paragraphs arc from
paper prepared for the southwestern
Tnrashc.neu's convention by State
Highway Commissioner Iioratio S.
Earle Of Michigan. Limits of space
forbid the publication Of the entire pa
rcr. hut the suggestion to thrashermen
to - into the road building business is
an Interesting proposition, says the
Good Roads Magazine
Why good roads are wanted and
why they are needed 10y the owners OF
farms. Of factories, of mines and by
producers of any other material re-
curing transportation can be given in
one Ord-elimination.
The reason thrashlng machines are
employed to separate the grain from
the straw is for the purpose Of elimi-
naton-that is, it is cheaper to thrash
this way than by the use of the fail or
beast stamping process, and 50 por-
ton of the cost of thrashing is done
away with and the money remains In
the hands of the grain producer.
There is no sentimental reason for
wishing. to cut out portion of the cost
of thrashing or of transportation. 1t is
simply avariciou&ncss. a very COM
mendabe quality in a man if only
coupled in right proportions with the
Golden Rule doctrine.
If it costs 50 to draw one ton to
market over a bad road and only 50 to
draw two tons over that same road
when the road has been made good,
then the good road is the machine with
which to do the thrashing-that is.
with which to eliminate a portion of
the cost of transportation. provided it
doesn't cost more for the machine and
its repairs than is saved by its use.
Every bad road is toll road. Al
though you may not lie compelled to
drive under Il shed and hand to an old
cripple Your cash before going through
the gate yet the toll is collected just
the same by Cripple Mud or Cripple
sand. who are found along the way.
They collect the difference between
the cost of transportation over bad
road and over Il good one, and this diff
ference is never less than one-half the
cost of hauling over bad road. So
farmer who hauls his produce to mar
kot over a bad road if it cost him 500
Il year to haul has paid 500 of this
amount as toll to Cripples Mud and
Sand.
No one is moro eligible to become
good rOadmakor than the thrasherman.
In the first place lie is generally hus-
tier. He has to be in order to be sue
ccssfrl in his business. for thrashing
doesn't last tho year round, and he has
to be up ana doing while it does last.
If anybody obcys the Old maxim.
Make hay while the sun Shines" 1t is
the thrasherman. Next he has trac
ton engine. whose power can be used
TO pull the plow or grader, to haul the
stone and gravel and to crush the stone
and roll the road. He has the time too.
in spring and early simmer as we'll as
in the fall to attend to this work.
Every dog has his day and the
good roads day is here. The thrasher-
man who gets a sample permanent
road to build and does it well with the
advice AMI help of Il technical practi-
cal road builder will not only learn
how to make good roads. bat will Gre
ate a sentiment for them which will
furnish him employment Just as long
as he continues II 10 well what he I'M
dcrtalles. He can work out the statute
labor for the taxpayer by hauling