St. Tammany farmer., 1906-02-10

PURLlslIED WEEKLY.
covlNaroN. 81: LOUISIANA. .
Ihe Value Of Good Roads.
one OF the strangest facts Of the day
= Inc inability Of the farmers of the
oentral west to see that a small tax
,evied on their properties and applied
% the permanent Improvement of the
oIolnary highways would be money in
me pockets Of each of them. In 1900
...nes people. OF the state of New York
naa their attention called sharply to
tne Iact that farm values in that state
naa snrunk more than six per cent,
OF 10000, 900, in ten years, and were
more than $500 o0o, 900 less in the ag-
9regate than they were 30 years be-
1ore. Startled into investigation, they
found the same shrinkage in other
northeastern states except in Massa-
cnusetts, and In that state an increase
OF nearly "a per cent was traced to the
TACT that the state had literally i'm
proved Its roads and established park
system. Further study showed that in
New York about 100000 tons per
annums OF farm products were hauled
directly tosmarket every year over the
public highways at cost to the farmer
of not less than 25 cents per ton per
mile, while over roads properly graded
and sgraveled or, macadamed the cost
would be from six to eight cents per
ton per mile. The sbil, subsoil and
drainage on and below the surface are
such, states @ethe Chicago Chronicle,
that the natural roads, made only by
use, are vastly better in New York
than the average of those laid out and
worked" in Illinois. We pay for our
vastly richer soil with dirt roads that
are bottomless mud when wet sitting
with dust when dry and rougher than
lava beds when frozen. No statistics
nor estimates are at hand to show what
the cost Of transporting freight per ton
Per highway mile In this state may be,
but II It be true, as the experience Of
Massachusetts is said to make reason
ably sure that improved highways
insNew York VIII enable her farmers
toa9et their products to market 60 per
cent. more cheaply than now like
improvement in this and other states
along the mississippi should enable our
farmers to- make q much larger saving
In thes sAme process, quite surely not
less than Is per cent, even though the
nathrN 2of the soil here might make the
drst cost of Improving considerably
greater. The saving In wear and tear
on The traction animals and on the re-
pairs Of harness and wagons alone, to
saysnothing 81 the time gained and the
saving in other ways, ought to make
no small part Of the general gain.
No pne who has. had experience Of Illi-
noia roads In wet autumns or in late
winter and spring can have any doubt
on that point. New York has just
yotedea constitutional amendment or
deringsthe issue Of 150, ,ooO, 900 Of state
bonds for highway Improvement, car
rying an interest charge of three per
cent. per annnm and one Of two pr
cent. for q sinking fund, to be issued
to thes amount OF 5000, 900 annually
for ten years and to be paid, principal
interest and sinking fund, by the state
and tho counties and towns, where ap-
piled ii the proportions Of 50 per cent.
y by thesstate, IS per cent by the coun-
ties and Is per cent. by the towns.
The general plan 10 the outcome OF
long and careful study, based on ex-
periences In Massachusetts and else
where, and 1t seems worthy Of the
closest study by the legislators and
people of the whole country, the great
central west and northwest more es-
pecially. It is impossible for every
farmer to have asrailway station son
his farm. FDrssthe great majority OF
them the public highways Of the coun-
try must forever remain for greater OF
lesser distances the only means OF get
ting their products to home markets
OF to the great steam arteries OF com
/ 4merce-the railways or the rivers or
canals. In New York tue authorisa-
lion Of the work is confidently expect
ed Ia add at least SO per acre to the
y.Iue of the farm lands affected. and
the Mississippi valley would be Of ne
cessitys relatively greater.
FOR very dollar Of tax paid for the
nnrDosS enhanced values would be
counted in scores Of dollars within q
single lifetime.
1ouiM Horwitz, Russian, aged 2s
~e.rs. has fled q petition In the circuit
co,nrt u ST. Louis asking that his name
re changed to Louis Hart. The Rus
s,.n issa travelling salesman and rep
resentas that he is at q Disadvantages IN
business by reason OF the fact that he
retains his Russian name. He says
there IL at present much prejudice IN
the United states against Russians.
a also states that he wishes effect
.,.,,v r Is dissyows all connection with
the Russian empire.
rh.s fact that another American girl
-. toined the British peerage IN the
S. d,pa mot fluster the young