The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1907-02-07
IMPORTANCE AND COST OF GOOD
ROADS.

in Cobb county. careful study of the
question will show that sufficient
amount of money carefully invested in
good roads will add more real value to
Cobb county than any investment we
could possibly make. It is business
proposition for the protection and bet
terment of our property as body pol
itic, which in its effect reaches every
citizen personally and adds to:his midi
vidual wealth.
We are blessed with the finest cli-
mate and finest water on earth and o
soil that yields abundantly Of all crops,
and good markets for all produce al
most at our doors. With good roads
the value of our lands and produce
would be enhanced from rs to 30 per
cent. We can have these roads with
out one dollars cost to the individual.
OF course if every citizen Of our county
were convinced that this statement is
half true we would have a unanimous
vote to have every road in the county
graded and macadamized at once.
Every one familiar with values in
Cobb county knows that lands near
Marietta and points near railroad sta
tions sell for prices from two to six
times higher than lands farther from
market, and yet these close-in lands
are not more productive, and in many
instances less productive than those
more distant, but the difference in
values is in their accessibility to mar
kets. At three dollars per day for a
two.horse team and driver it will cost
a farmer ten miles out to deliver load
of do bushels of potatoes at SOC per
bushel Is per cent Of his produce, while
the farmer living two miles could de-
liver his at per cent or less. We can't
bring all farms close in, nor can we
shorten distances much, but we can
shorten the time, decrease wear and
tear and double or thribble the load
that can be carried. If the ten mile
farmer can haul twice or thrice the
load with the same team, he has re-
duced his expenses one-half or two
thirds as the case may be; il he could
haul a cord and half of wood instead
of half cord, his timber would be
worth six times as much to him if he
can haul two tons of fertilizer instead
of one it would often save him five dol
lars or more per day.
On properly graded and macadamized
roads good average team of mules
can easily dray from four to five thou
sand pounds at load and can make
twice the distance that they would
over hilly, muddy roads.
The saving in one days hauling in a
year to a farmer paying taxes on 1900
worth of property would pay his extra
taxes that would be caused by the issu-
ing of the bonds now proposed, to say
nothing of net saving of 8 or 10 per
cent. on the cost of marketing his en-
tire crops. Nor does this take into ac-
count the indisputable fact that his
lands will greatly increase in value on
account OF this great saving in cost of
marketing and making farms more ac-
cessible to market. m
Within the last two months there
was an Ohio farmer here who came for
the purpose of buying farm in a
warmer or more favored climate and to
get cheaper lands. After driving out
two days, he said to me: 81 like your
country, your climate and your lands,
but would not buy farm in your coun-
ty because OF your bad roads" He
said, II grow wheat for my money
crop, and on our pike roads 1 can haul
from 80 to 100 bushels per load to mar
ket, and here could not haul more than
one-third that amount"
On his Ohio land, worth 500 per acre,
he produced 20 to 80 bushels per acre.
"hN WIN AOhOS WOulu nave
been glad to pay $50 per acre for lands
in much more favored climate, which,
in a few years time, he could make
produce the same quantities.
Is there farmer in Cobb county who
would hesitate for moment to put
from $3.50 to $40 in Improvements on
his farm if he thought it would enhance
the value of his property from 20 to so
per cent?
To issue bonds is fairer to all classes.
and will give quicker results, than to
raise the per capita tax, as suggested
by some Bonds will be paid partly by
present and partly by future genera
tions out of small percentage of gains
that will come to us from having prop
erly built roads. We can pay them off
with 20 per cent of our Increased in
come by reason of the investment.
Then, why not make this investment
that will net us rs per cent, to say