The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1906-01-25
BAD ROADS EXPENSIVE.
A Timely and Pertinent Discussion
of the Needs of Rural
Districts.

In fall. winter and spring the farm
err has the best opportunity OF apprc
ciating the cost to him OF bad roads
In the fall the mud is deep in some OF
the highways. especially those on 6
clayey loan. which heaves badly with
the frost When the ground freezes
up the deeply cut ruts remain. ant
when not covered deeply with snow
are a constant impedlment TO traffic
They are worse than the dust in the
summer or the mud at the tive ends
OF winter. In the most northern part
OF the country such ruts are covered
with snow during most OF the time
theg are frozen, but this Is not true
OF ali the country South Of tho re.
glon where snow lies all winter Is
strip OF country hundreds OF miles
wide where the ground is frozen for
months. but where the snow covers II
for but a short time In this strip.
which extends from the Missouri river
20 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 ruis
DAMAGE vehicles OF all kinds and fire.
quently 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 10 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
provcment. Local societies FOR the im-
provement OF the roads are far more
effective than great national assocla-
tions. because the local societies have
no local ioalousies 10 overcome. II
the people OF any community can be-
brought 10 n realization Of how cx-
pensive bad roads are they will take
measures to remedy them. The plan
that viii DO in one locality will not
do IN another; for the reason that
each locality has Us particular road
problem There Is only one thing In
which there Is a similarity. aud that
o.. that IN each community bad roads
are expensive. II costs more 10 keep
M a bad road than II does poor one,
but the people seldom realize this, for
the reason that the tax Is distributed
over a multitude Of th.ngs-men. car
fiages horses. harness. and the like
The good road costs little 20 keep up.
In comparison. but the cost appears
large because u Is an 90 be found on
the towns books The sentiment In
favor Of improving the roads finds its
greatest stimulus IN the expensiveness
% poor roads. where bad roads arc
tolerated from year 20 year. the reo-
pie have never taken time 10 consider
the loss sustained from the bad roads.
Agitators for road improvement viii
ind their strongest argument 20 be the
losses caused by tho roads In their
poor condition. N a man can take the
time 10 20 about his community and
make a list Of the accidents 20 horses.
WAGONS and harness. that have oc-
CURED for years back he will ind
himself IN possession OF a most pow
erful argument IN favor Of Immediate
improvement OF the highways. The
same array Of facts viii b. a surprise
10 the men who have furnished the
data. for none Of them have ever
considered the magnitude Of the az
gregate losses. The road system of
the United states Is one OF the won
derful things In the world. and the
like Of u Is not possessed by any 9TH
er nation. but there are many points
at which II can be improved. The
vasiness OF this road system Il rs
weakness.