The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-04
STRONG ARGUMENT
FOR BETTER ROADS
J Interesting and Striking Stats
ties Have Been Compiled by
Transportation Expert.
HAULING OF CROPS NOW
COSTS FIVE PERCH VALUE
Good Roads Will Extend Crop
Areas by Permitting Much
Longer Haul.
special to The Tribune.

SnecIal TO The Tribune,
WASHINGTON. March 3,-The good
roads advocates of the country ought
Tn get a vast amount Of comfort out
of some digging recently completed by
Frank Andrews. Transportation Expert
of the Department Of Agriculture. Mr..
Andrews digging was into the I'M
mense subject of the cost of marketing
farm products, and his researches COW
cred hundreds Of counties in all por-
tions of the United States, so that his
fgures, while in part estimated, are
fairly accurate His investigation had
TO do with the 12 leading crops only
and therefore do not cover all the haul
ing done by the farmers of the country.
OF the 12 leading crops 1T was found
that nearly $4,000, 900 tons were hauled
from farm to market during the past
crop wear, at cost of about SS5.000,0 900
or more than 3 per cent of their value
AT the local market. OF this traffic 40,-
100000 tons represented the weight of
corn, wheat and cotton, and the cost
of hauling these three products was
S70.00O,000.
The number of working days taken
10 haul the IL leading crops from farm
To shipping point is estimated at 2l,
4l7.500. and the number of loads taken
at 30.319,000 The greatest time con
sumed In hauling any one crop to mar
ket was S,494 200 days for wheat. But
il the time taken for hauling to local
mills the wheat consumed in the coun-
ties where grown be included the total
number of working days consumed in
hauling wheat would be over s,900,000.
Some Startling Figures.
Although there were fewer loads of
cotton than of oats it required 1000
low for nd
teams to haul the fiber than this grain,
the average time for a round trip for
hauling oats being thrce-ffths of day
and for cotton one day. Including
wheat hauled to local mills for grind.
ing, the total number Of wagon loads
of the II crops was 34,200,000, and
The services of men and teams for a.
100000 days were required to move
these loads
The average cost to the farmer for
hauling wheat to market is nine ccnts
per hundred pounds, the average dis
tance hauled is nine and two-iifths
miles aud the average wagon load
weighs 2239 pounds, containing about
% bushels. For cotton the average
load is 1902 pounds, distance from mar
ket eleven and four-hfths miles, and
cost of hauling Is cents per hundred
pounds Per ton per mile wheat costs
highest cost for hauling is for wool,
which is carried on an average 39.S
miles. at the rate of N cents per hun
dred pounds The lowest cost is for
hemp. which is taken 10 market for an
average of slX cents per hundred
pounds.
Corn, oats and barley are each taken
to market at an average cost of seven
cents per hundred pounds; hay, faxseed,
rye and timothy seed. eight cents !;
wheat, potatoes and beans, nine cents:
tobacco and live hogs. 10 cents, rice,
hops and buckwheat, III cents; apples
a9d peanuts; i2 cents; vegetables, other
Than potatoes, and cotton seed, 10
,~snts: cotton and fruit. other than ap-
'ples, ]6 cents; wool, 81 cents.
Good Roads Extend Limit.
II was found that tho greatest dis