The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-08-22

Road Improvement.


Personally l believe in an extensive
development of both state and federal
roads, writes Colonel Albert A. Pope in
larper's Weekly. For many years we
have expended liberal sums of money
for the betterment of rivers and har
bors, and the results accomplished are
commendable, but we must not lose
sight of the fact that a great majority
Of the people live away from the coasts
and waterways, in regions where the
necessity for good highways is imper-
alive.
In many cases these people need the
appropriations and national aid great
deal more than those dwelling nearer
with industry. The highways are the
natural feeds to railways, and Inn
provements on them materially In
crease both interstate and international
commerce. If our government has
seen fit to be liberal in river and har-
Dor work, it Is reasonable to expect
that the building and maintenance of
public highways must demand the same
attention. There is an interdependency
here which cannot be overlooked by
those who analyze this question Alright
1t has long been a mooted question as
TO what is the best method of raising
funds for the construction of public
highways, but know of no better way
than for state and federal government
to issue special bonds for the purpose
Three per cent fifty-year bonds of this
kind would find an immediate market,
and they could be paid by sinking
fund of 2 per cent per annum, which
would mean that there would be charg
ed against this Indebtedness 3 per cent
per annum to be provided for by taxa
ton. Such bonds could be issued from
time to time as the York progressed, s.
that funds would always be available
up TO the limit of the bonded indebte6
ness agreed upon
There is trait in American charac
ter which makes us ultra conservative
on some issues, especially where long
established custom causes us to travei
in ruts so deep that it is difficult tt
leave them.
For years the inhabitants of the rural
districts of our country deceived them
selves in believing that the best, and by
that is meant the cheapest, way te
pay a road tax was to work it out By
Of ox-sos lob ON
highways. 1t took far reaching and
aggressive educational campaign to
persuade them that the old method OF
road building and repair was unneces
sarily costly and thoroughly ineffe,.
tual. Nor was this reformation well
started until some communities had
made practical demonstration of the
actual value of good highways to those
who depend on the soil for living.
In working out his road tax the farm
er chung to the idea that dollar saved
was as good as a dollar earned, and al
the same time he lost sight of the tru-
ism that 1t is good business policy to
invest a dollar which will bring back
| two. Once the farmer was shown by
object lessons that good highways,
passable the year round. were essential
to a profitable handling of farm prod.
ucts he freely expressed establishment
at having been fooled by the methods
inherited from his ancestors.
This educational work, which in its
inception called for great energy and
the liberal expenditure of time and
money, WAS later on helped by both
state and federal government. An ap.
preparation was made ny Congress for
the purpose of collecting and dissent.
mating information on road building;
and repair, road materials and Other
kindred topics. AS result the farm
ers learned that to build roads proper
| ~, though apparently expensive, was
in reality an economic measure. They
we're led to see that the highways were
natural feeders of railways and that 1t
was as much of a detriinent to have
produce snowbound or mudbound on
the farm as to have freight congested
On the railroad. They comprehended RE
difference In cost between hauling a
ton a mile on good and bad roads, and
they realized, too, that with passabla
roads the year round the hauling to
station and other shipping points could
be done TO advantage out of season
when draft animals were not needed
for blowing or harvesting.
Experience has taught us the valua-
BILE lesson that highways must be con-
| structed and cared for under skilled su.
pervision. This point Is emphasized by
the fact that the demand for trained
road engineers is constantly increasing,
and to meet 1t our educational institu-
tons and colleges are offering a regu-
lar course of study to fit students for
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