The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1907-05-09
DO Farmers Want T:adisi Highways?

DO Farmers Want T:adiai Highways?
Forcsecing objections TO the
through" roads proposed In some
Stales. this magazine presented in its
February izsGe some Of the argu-
DcB;a for and against making high
ways TO extend IA direct line. over
tong distances. That article covered
comparatively small part Of the
question. which seems To- have come
tip for consideration by the lawmak-
c.s o: Scw York State.
Report says that number OF
members OF the New York Assembly,
row Ia session. are much concerned
lest legislation proposed should give
to automob.iists great through high
ways, which II is asserted would be
little more than speedwags. and
would not give good roads to the
farmers and small towns
Reasons offered for these fears are
that such through roads would BEN
eft the agricultural interests OF the
State but little, and their lozal mar
ket5 scarcely any; that these inter-
csts pay half the cost OF road i'm
proyement, by direct taxation. and
pay another part of that cost BY con-
! tributions TO the State revenues, and
that because Of this whatever State
money does go TO make good roads
should be spent for improving the
highways the farmer must Use before
/ any of IL should go to make long and
costly through roads.
! It may be admitted frankly that
any proposal to construct such inn
proved through road. say from AL
bany to Buffalo, would AFFORD to the
farmer and other opponents Of such
| plan arguments which IL few other
! places in this country would have SO
much Of force as they would have in
New York. because such through
road in this State would doubtless be
nearly parallel to and nowhere far
from the Erie Canal. to the New
York Central and to the West Shore
railroads.
Along each of these three lines of
transportation local markets are
strung closely, therefore products Of
farms near them need be moved only
a short distance eastward or west
| ward. Because they are used by
many people, the public roads con-
Meeting these local markets are, as a
rule. in a condition better than that
OF roads leading northward or south
ward from thom.
| For these reasons some may con-
tend that State money for road i'm
proyement should first go to make
better all roads having for their main
purpose saving in the cost of moving
products from farm to local markets,
and that the making of long through
roads should wait until such shorter
roads, Tadiating from many local
points, would run together or meet
and SO make through lines of high.
| ways.
But these views meet only few oil
the conditions of this question. 1t is
asserted that the cities of Buffalo and
New York together will pay eighty.
five per cent, or $42,5O0,0OO of the
$50, 100000 which New York State /:
to use for improving its public roads
If it be supposed that two through
highways were made from the east
ern to the western limits of thi.
State, they would be about 400 mile.
in length, or together small fraction
more than one per cent. of the tota
mileage of public roads in the'State
At $4,000 per mile they would cos
s3,200,000, which would equal g.
i, per cent. of the $50, 100000 the
State has appropriated for road i'm
proyement.
r We're Buffalo and New York Cit,
to pay 42.5 per cent of that sum
they would leave only S1,S40,000 t.
be paid by all the other cities and b,
I the country districts, toward con
structing improved highways, which
:. would be open for free use by all or
, binary vehicles, including automo
biles of various classes.
q If two such through thoroughfare
:. were so made and turned over TO
:, use by automobiles and other moto
vehicles, to the exclusion of all 9th
ers, and if the two roads would cos
i. 100000, to be paid wholly iron
:, the S50,000,O00 appropriated, SAC
!, 100000 Of that appropriation woul
: remain, and of this sum the two cite
named would contribute $19,890,00C
or enough to pay for more than 81
through roads across the Who'll
length of the State.
So far the country districts seen
; to have little just cause for com
planning Of their part Of the bargain
=, for road improvement.-Good Road
Magazine.