The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-12-16

for better roads. l am confident
President Roosevelt's Commission on
Country Life will find the one great
drawback to country life poor roads.
OF all men, the orchardists of Wash
ington should stand at the front in
this movement of far-reaching con-
sequence. Our average production,
at least for the bearing orchard in
the irrigated belt, is a carload to
the acre, one hundred and sixty car
loads to the quarter section. In the
wheat and corn belts of the middle
west it takes ten acres to grow a
carload. In the stock region
then in the irrigated section our
twenty acre to the carload. And
roads are built in the volcanic ash or
sand, and full of chuck-holes. Rough.
dusty roads don't ruin the load of
corn or wheat. but bad roads.
dusty, rough, full of chuck-holes. in
addition to increasing the cost of
hauling and robbing country life of
it's best enjoyment, actually damages
every wagon load of fruit hauled
probably an average of ten dollars
per wagon load or one hundred dol
lars per car. Compute this loss and
1t will amaze you.
had I,oads-Two Hundred Thousand
Dollars Loss One Year.
The Yakima Valley alone produced
two thousand carloads of fruit this
year. Estimating the damage from
dust and bruising and loss of keep
ing quality at one hundred dollars
per car and you have loss of two
hundred thousand dollars for one
year for bad roads to the fruit rails
ers of single valley.
Good Policy to Go in Debt.
But you say we will have to issue
bonds and go in debt to improve our
roads. Very true. Let me ask
every one of you if it has not been
good policy for you to go in debt?
Are you not every one richer be-
cause you went in debt to buy Wash
ingtOn fruit lands?
Good Roads One Hundred Per Cent
Annual Dividend.
Some one has figured out very
carefully that the national gov
eminent will receive in increased
annual wealth produced dividend
of one hundred per cent every year
on every dollar of the millions in
vested through the Reclamation Ser
vice. That is to say. when the Re-
clamation Service has expended one
hundred million dollars the amount
of wealth produced on the lands re-
n Inv
amount to one hundred million dol
lars every year. | believe the annual
dividend will be no less on every
dollar wisely expended in the fruit
belt in wisely building permanent
roads. Suppose you go in debt to
build good roads. 1t is only fair
that those who use the roads in the
future, those whose fruit is hauled
from year to year with less expense
and without damage should pay for
them.
A Working Plan.
What we need is working plan
| hope some one will suggest a prac-
tical, sensible plan. something on the
order of combination city improve
ment district and country drainage
district whereby the land and COM
munity benefited will pay their full
proportion of the cost and the gen.
eral publicpin county or state pay the
balance, or that some better plan
may be suggested which will merit
the hearty approval and endorsement
of this convention.
Loaning Money to Yourself
Remember when YOU go III debt
for good roads. you are in sense
loaning money to Yourself. 1t is a
case where You have your cake
and eat it too" The money eXpend-
ed or good roads will nearly all be
expended in Your own community
for labor, and labor will scatter this
where it will enrich the entire COM
munity. tradesmen and producers
alike.
Marketing Fruits.
Let me offer a few suggestions on
another important problem, Market
ing our Fruits / desire to approach
this question from practical and not
a theoretical viewpoint. Every ideal
method is hedged about with twenty
barbed wire of Ifs" Let us see if
there is a feasible. rational plan.
There are three kinds of sellers.
The large Independent grower who
takes pride in his brands, puts con-
science in his pack, and so far, he
can and does sell his fruit on the
average better than the dealer or the
Association. and probably he will
continue to do so. He needs very
little assistance. Then there Is the
large class of independent. matter
of-fact growers who prefer to take
their products to the dealer and
home buyer and see their fruit turn
ed to coin before their own eyes. And
for the comfort of the dealer. be-
lieve we will always have this large
class with us Then there is a third
equally large class of ambitious, VEN
turesome. progressive growers who
have faith in the theory of co opera
ton and are honestly trying to carry
/ tout. and whose success depends en-
tirely on the business ability of their
boards of directors and managers.
Now. believe we will always have
these three classes with us. The