Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1906-02-17
BAD ROADS EXPENSIVE.
a Timely and Pertinent Discussion
of the Needs of Rural
Districts.


In fall. winter and spring the farm
er has the best opportunity of appre-
ciating the cost TO him OF bad roads.
La the fall the mud is deep In some Of
the highways. especially those on a
clayey loan which heaves badly with
the frost When the ground freezes
up the deeply cut ruts remain. and
when not covered deeply with snow
are constant impeachment TO traffic.
They are worse than the dust in the
summer or the mud at the two ends
OF winter In the most northern part
OF the country such ruts are covered
with snow during most or the time
theg are frozen. but this is not true
OF ali the country. South OF the re-
gion where snow lies all winter is a
strip OF country hundreds of miles
wide where the ground is frozen for
months. but where the snow covers IL
for but short time. In this strip.
which extends from the Missouri river
TO the Atlantic coast, the roads are
very bad for many months OF the cold
est part OF the year. except where such
roads are made OF gravel or are on
soil gravelly by nature. The ruts
damage vehicles OF all kinds and fire.
Queptly break harness when heavy
loads are being drawn. The force ex-
pended by horses in pulling loads over
such roads is far in excess of the
force required TO pull load over even
poor earth road in summer. This
is the time OF year. says the Farmers
Review, when farmers have time for
organization OF societies for road i'm
provement. Local societies for the i'm
provement OF the roads are far more
effective than great national associa-
lions. because the local societies have
no local jealOusies 90 overcome. IL
the people OF any community can be
brought TO a realization OF how ex-
pensive bad roads are they will take
measures to remedy them. The plan
that will do in one locality will not
! do in another; for the reason that
each locality has its particular road
problem. There is only one thing in
which there Is a similarity, and that
| is. that in each community bad roads
are expensive. II costs more TO keep
! up bad road than II does a poor one,
but the people seldom realize this. for
| the reason that the tax is distributed
over a multitude of things-men. car
/ riages. horses. harness. and the like.
| The good road costs little 20 keep up.
in comparison. but the cost appears
/ large because II Is all 10 be found on
! the towns books. The sentiment in
/ favor OF improving the roads finds its
greatest stimulus in the expensiveness
OF poor roads. Where bad roads are
tolerated from year 70 year. the peo-
pie have never taken time 20 consider
the loss sustained from the bad roads.
/ Agitators for road improvement will
ind their strongest argument 70 be the
losses caused by the roads in their
p poor condition. II man can take the
| time 20 so about his community and
make list OF the accidents 10 horses.
wagons and harness. that have oo-
CURED for years back. he will ind
himself in possession OF a most pow
/ erful argument in favor OF immediate
improvement or the highways. The
4 same array OF facts viii be a surprise
20 the men who have furnished the
data, for none OF them have ever
| considered the magnitude OF the ag-
gregate losses. The road system OF
the United States is one OF the won
derful things in the world. and the
/ like OF Il is not possessed by any 9TH
er nation. but there are many points
| at which Il can be improved. The
vastRess OF this road system is its
Il vuaalnaaa