Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-19

en- 10 the discovery of some prav ,,aral
pan suad'ii.eiently elastic to m me- tH Vet
| ing conditions of different localitics. MI
| II IL July Il proposition for the Nv" 80
10 ehhafk along way traV'rs'u Of
oio. long years since The Rtpu,,''i -, o U
miles Of roads withumt cost to the farm
tiS Italy has 500 miles of rot'H "I"
Si!ilIi'r CONDITIONS. England az" rr 90
ni,,,H ,.aVe enjoyed perfect i" as a.
Hh'i!! N'.iS mat they are a',' P ,rgu
m'It"r 81 course. There can "; ;t ,'p -, 81
nm; III l;1vor OF government al" ~
r"'uS, I'M rowing rivers anu nc; 10, ~,
tl"ctlhG public buildings inpr"NltI ~ ~
lie service along other lines, that docs
nos aEply with equal force I" government
"iM III pulling public a ghways. 10. nm.
In -N''nmal Grange has b,.' .t.nrri.r
blll wiifh provides for nationai ia, a!' ear ~,
road building. and it only ftiiia ,,,., -" ~,
| IN" order in all parts of the n"ui'iH t"
give thcif support for TINS PHI VI ''
sim lar bill. to become a law. III me
meantime; with the abundance, Oh mr. ~,
RAJ stiltahi" FOR building goo" Ioau1 IL.
Maine. II would seem that me I'M, ,nn
| arrive" 10 sop wasting 50 hi,''i. ,,',s
as W" do at present on roads tiit we
| find III no better condition at tnr ia Oh
| th' var IMAM at the beginning. WI IT,
| ent State law is Il step in the right dlre'-
| llon one OF the weak points an tii'. iam
! is that it does not specify that roads
constructed under this law shali ne UNI
form, or OF Il certain STANDARD; h''t'c Mt
| motto" roads in different parts oi Inc
| State arr. as different in construction as
are the common methods OF constructing
| roads.
| We believe the STATE can wei ahoro
| t. engage in building good road I" Il far
| greater extent than at present. anu ID!
| doing this, all classes OF property thit
pay only state tax can properly ID.
| made To pay greater amount ol tdN
! than ut the present time. TINS Is Il HoeS.
ton that vitality interests the Farmer oil
| the State of Maine.
FREE DISTRIBG'TION OF SEEDS.
| every farm organization that is ma
| tional in its character has condemned '.
! continuation OF the free distribution VI
| the most common varieties Of garden
seeds. Statistics show that there mas
been more than five millions OF dollars
expended by the government IN inns free
| distribution and most of theSt S'!'"S are
| distributed in such L WAY that th'E are
| OF 10 earthly use to those WIZ" Te"tN
tI:"ni. For instance ! rcc"ittd last
| year more than two bushels i'll packages,
| of musk melon seeds and as ! nave no
| faith iE the musk melon for cultivation
| in the Maine, the seeds WEI" a complete
| loss, as | could not indIce my n :%hnor5
| to engage i'll the business extensively. |
| also received squash. lettuce. pumrkiis
| tomatoes. peas. beans. of ia" most rfi- .
| mon varieties tha; could he obtained OF
! amy scotsman. The consequence -. tH
| recipient learns nothing from planting
| them, and in many Instances the So Il
| will not grow; and | know Of one in
| stance where Il man planted what he
suppose! was cabbage seed and raised Il
SplcnOih rrup Of mustard.
The department of agriculture faV6rS
| the distribution of really rar" and V;ilu-
| able seed instead OF these low sent out.
bi;, cannot make the change at present
| because it required to furnish SO many
| packages "f these common seeds hat it
cannot afford 10 buy nov, rare. or vaili-
| able seeds. and tn" department has 10
| send out these old varieties that hav"
been on the market for from ten to thirty
years. The distribution costs tn" govern
| nlrnt S2i2UO per year. II TINS amount
| We're distributed among the agricultural
colleges. it would give each on" an addi-
ti"nal appropriation of from %a"" 10 SO
COO per year. The S2i30d0 per annum that
is practically wasted would support ma
tional agricultural COLLEGE with 50 pro-
fesSors at $500 each. or 40 at $500 each.
1t costs the post-ofticp department, it is
claimed $4,000 per year to distribute
these seeds or enough to maintain 2.dD
fouith-class postotficts: or 100 rural fire"
delivery route. The total Expense is not
far from Sl.OINE for each Congress. \
large part of the seeds are sent by rep
rcsentativcs from the cities. and it has
been estimated that at least 50 per cent.
Of the cost of these seeds is wasted. The
amount thus exrflincd would build Ga
miles of good roads fol- each Congress at
n cost of s1.-O0 per mile, that would rep-
resent since the system was started with
the money thus expended :ss;s335 miles OF
permanent roads. or from COnn"cticut to
the Pacific coast. which when bull,
would be If immense value To the farm
crS.
The National Grange is on record as
being opposed to Il continue tion "f tn.
practice: also the Farmers Congress.
and very many other farmers o"':.:I' "a
tons. / have it on good authnr't'' th"t
the committees on agriculture Of both
the House and the Senate are not favor
able to continuation of this vast" Of
money. ana ! horn the Main" Safe
Grange will adopt resolutions a this ecs-
son in favor of the abolition Of the plan.
TAXATION AND LEGISLATION.
In the discussion If the question Of
taxation, as N all other matters Of pub
lie interest we should always cndeavOr
20 be fair and honorable with those who
may differ with us. and we have Ii right
TO expect the same corr:csv from them.
Bangor Commercial. ''Th" people in this
part of tn" state hay" taken much in
terest in the discussion in the papers OF
the taxation of the wild lands. All
thinking men in this section we'll under
stand that Il great deal of this talk on
the subject of taxation is only for politi-
cal effect. 1t is we'll known that the
State assessors have valued the wild
lands for all that they are worth. ana
that the owners of this class of property
Figures which have recently been pub
lishcd plainly show that the wild lands
are taxed higher han is the average"
farm property The farmers of tn"
State are not all fooled by such men as
Mr.. Gardiner who in his address ut the
meeting Of the Maine State Grange. sim
ply played to the galleries. As = gentle
man remarked to thd-COmmercial CORE
spondent the other day. Gardiner evi-
IDENTIFY thought his address would create
q big sensation. and that h" would be
claSsed as q second Jerome. 1t. however.
fen perfectly fiat. and only served to