Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-08-31
WHY GOOD ROADSPAY
MAKE LAND VALUABLE AND CREATE
HIGH AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE.
Striking Instances of Importance Of
Having Improved Highways Told
by an Arkansas Mnn-serious Eject
of bad Road Tax on Farmers.

at Fort smith, III. II. Kelley, according
to the Goods Roads Magazine, spoke
on Good Roads-Why They Pay"
saying In part as follows:
Roads are the foundation OF civiii-
zation. They form the means Of com
munication between people and there
is no better index of the intelligence Of
any community than its roads. Good
roads pay. They make high land val
ues, and in time they create high aver
age intelligence in the country through
which they are built. Perhaps no bet
ter example of this can be found than
In New Zealand. where the general
government undertakes the building
and care of all roads-the railroads as
well as the wagon roads. The country
of New Zealand is much like that Of
Arkansas, but the government adopted
a development policy which is very
effective and highly profitable. One Of
the main lines of business conducted
by the government of New Zealand is
in real estate. 1t acquired by purchase
or condemnation large tracts of land
The first thing In the way Of develop
ment was highway built through the
property. Along this the government
sells out to settlers on long time and
easy payments land in suitable sizes
for farms and homes. The settlers on
this land are first given employment
by working on the roads. After the
roads are in good condition the popula-
tion comes quite rapidly, and 1t Is as
tonishing what that government Is ac-
complishing In spreading its people out
on the soil. There is no congestion of
the population in cities. Each citizen
Is encouraged to get home of as many
acres of land as he can take care Of,
and the result is population whose
general intelligence and comfort are
greater than have seen elsewhere.
That good roads pay is a generally
conceded fact, and II has seemed
strange to me that an argument on this
subject should be needed. A visit to
any Of the rural districts of Arkansas
Is convincing proof that an argument
Is required, for the good roads are not
there and | cannot conceive of great
er contrast than that which the squalor,
poverty and ignorance displayed in our
rural districts make with the intelll-
gence, cleanliness and comfort one sees
In New Zealand rural district. think
this difference Is more due to the roads
than to any other cause. Whether the
lack nf rnadQ hraa1o
whether the ignorance breeds the bad
roads Is subject | will not undertake
to discuss. At any rate, both exist to
such an extent In our state that our
first patriotic duty is to either dispel
the ignorance In procuring the roads or
procuring the roads to dispel the lg-
norance.
II recently purchased piece Of land
near Fort Smith past which ran two
good roads recently built. This land
was timbered, but the timber had been
rated an incumbrance on the land. In
fact, 1t hadn't been profitable to steal
II and haul II TO town, which fact prob
ably accounts for its still being there.
| had lot of this timber cut and put
rather intelligent person looking for
disposal of II. Some time later was
surprised when he told me that II was
sold at net price. after paying for the |
hauling, which would more than pay |
for clearing the land. on looking into |
this found that the good roads made |
II possible to haul a cord or more at n |
load Of this wood to market and make |
about four loads day, whereas before
the good roads were built two loads OF |
Dne-half cord each We're all that one
team could do. II cost So cord to
haul this wood before the good roads
were built and 20 cents cord after
ward. In other words. the wood was
worth S2.25 per cord after the roads
were put In. while II was absolutely
before. | find that the diff.
ference In the cost Of hauling ton OF
nay to market before and after the
FOOD roads for distance OF seven miles
$ about 81. One OF my farm teams
'ver the bad roads will bring n ton OF
lay to town In n day. Over the good
Dads they will bring three tons. so
he product of Il meadow OF 100 acres
$ worth about $500 more with Il good
oad 20 II at seven Niles from town
han II Is with bad road Before this
rood road was built the meadow was
worth $40 per acre. Since II Is built
so seems reasonable price for II.
II have found by actual experience
hat the Tux the farmers are paying
which keeps them poverty stricken is
hat imposed by bad roads For many
ears | tried earnestly 10 locate an In.
ustrlous class OF farmers In this coun,
Y. On different occasions | did sue
eed In getting several such colonies
tarted. None Of them remain. Usu-
lily they were hardy class of Ger
mans such as settled the prairies and
tates 10 the north and west OF us.
me by one they would sell out and go
ack to the prairie country, On close
uestioning ! would tind that the lack
roads and schools was so great these
eople wouldn't stay. The country
hey came from had tax three times
$ large as ours. In fact, many Of the
ehool districts In Kansas where they
ad lived levied school tax much
reater than our total tax. and II was
OF unusual for the total tax to be 8 per
-.