Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-04-26
STATE HOUSE.
Commissioner Sargent and
the Oranges,
Sends Report and Letter to
the Master Of Each.
Hancock County Man Pays S47.47 for
killing Deer in Close Time.
STATE HOUSE BULLETIN.
Next Meeting of Governor and Council
Tuesday, May "a, at 10 A. M.


sending to the master of each subor
dinate grange in the State a copy of
his first annual report, and with the
report letter requesting that the re-
port be placed in the Grange hall
where the members may look it over.
In the letter it is suggested that some
member be delegated to present to the
grange the views set forth in the re-
port in relation to road administra-
tiOn and improvement, and that a dis
cussion be had on the matter.
Attention is also called to a letter on
page 1872 of the report. which explains
in an able manner why there is money
value in improved roads. and why the
proposition of State aid is fair to both
the country and city residents. The
letter was written to Mr.. Sargent by
Clayton Conrow of Cinnaminson, n. j.,
Oct. S, 1905, in reply to a letter from
the commissioner which inquired what
benefits if any Mr.. Conrow had re-
ceived from improved highways. and
also what the benefits had been on the
basis of dollars and cents. In reply
ing Mr.. Conrow wrote i'm part as fol-
lows:
1t is rather difficult matter to
bring the benefits down to IA dollars
and cents basis because of other fac
tors which have to be rcckoned with in
determining results; for instance we
cannot tell what would have happen
ed if certain other things had not
happened.
| live upon the line of an improved
road leading from Philadelphia to New
York, ten miles from the former place
and before the road was improved %
baskets of promiscuous farm produce
would make a big two-horse load, af
ter the road was improved the average
load has not been less than 100 bas-
kctS, some farmers taking as many as
$50 baskets to a load, but this last
number is eXceptiOnal; also before i'm
provement it would take team all
day to make the round trip of about %
miles to the heart Of the city; since
Improvement. it requires an average Of
about seven hours. Now assuming
that a team and driver would be worth
$500 per day, the regular price here
il would cost sixteen cents per basket
for a farmer to land his produce in the
market in the first case and but four
cents per basket in the latter. allowing
the seven hours to make a day.
1t must be evident to every unprc-
JUDGED observer that the farmers i'll
this section would have hccn out nf
business had not the rVld been i'm
proved.
II must be evident also that the
farmer does not get all the benefit. for
Tho ritiZpn shares nf
it. for it often happens during the glut
"f tho season that farm produce sells
for less than sixteen cents per basket.
This is sufficient justification /
think for asking the cities to help pay
for improving country roads. This is
true of everything the resident of the
city uses or consumes. 1t can be de-
livered to him much more cheaply
over a good road than a bad road.
Now as to increase in value Of real
estate, | would say that the Civil War
was conducted upon an inflated paper
currency and land went up to abnor-
NAL figures and since the resumption
Of specie payments. land has been
IA Hing, but | can say that the good
roads improvement has arrested the
decline. Other factors also enter into
the consideration of this branch of the
subject, such as opening up for cult-
walton the fertile prairics of the West
which come in competitor with our
land which must be fertiizcd at great
expense
AS to the other questions of pleas
anter farm life | may say that we have
telephones and free rural delivery
which may lay claim to part of the
honor of adding to the attractions Of
farm life.
Chairman Carleton of the commits
sion of inland fisheries and game has
received a notice from Deputy Warden
George l.. Dyer of Hancock county.
telling of the prosecution, before the
Ellsworth municipal court, April "a Of
one Joseph Oubert of Plantation No
10. for killing a deer Dec. -. 1905, in
which the respondent was found guilty
and fined $40 and costs, amounting to
S41.47.
The interest felt in and the apprc-
citation shown of the value of the
Maine Sanitorium at Hebron is very
gratifying. and both are evidenced in
a material manner DR. A. g. Young