The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-10-15

Is increasing as the service is ex-
tended. 1t will soon reach SIo,-
600, 900 a year. While bad roads
entail a loss to the mail service of
s. 900, 900 to $4,000, 900 a year,
the loss to the farmers and con-
sumers of farm produce cannot be
less than twenty times as much.
As to the ability of the federal
government to assist in building
good roads, how better can we
judge this than by comparing the
debt per capita of our country with
the leading nations of the world
that have built good roads and
found it paid to do so?
The per capita debt of Germany,
according to the Chicago Daily
News Almanac and Year Book for
1908, is SAG; England, SS8. 50;
Italy, $50; Spain, sos; France,
SI44, and the United States,
Sill. The amount of annual
interest charged to be met by a
citizen of Germany is So; France,
S6,o5; England, s. A.; United
States, 20 cents.
The panic of 1907 was occasion
ed largely by the enormous de
mand for currency ito move the
crops" Why need the crops be
moved with such haste and at
such great inconvenience to the
railways and so completely drain
the cities of money as to cause
panic and the loss of many mil
lions? The farmer knew the win
ter and bad road season was APP
preaching and that if he didn't
get his crops off before the roads
broke up he didn't know how long
the embargo of bad roads would
prevent him from doing SO.
Another factor was the INSULT
cient amount of government bonds
to serve as the basis of national
bank circulation. As no bonds
were available the banks could not
increase their circulation, as they
would have been glad to do and
which would have immediately
relieved the financial strain. The
country needs good roads, and it
needs large debt Strange as that
may sound. Out of this dilemma
the way is easy.
If the federal government was to
issue as needed $500, 600, 900 of
per cent thirty to fifty year bonds
to aid in road building it would
carry the national debt up from
Sill to SI5.55 and the interest
charge from % to SO cents per
capita. The debt per capita would
be almost exactly where it was ten
years ago.
1t would require $4,000, 900 a
year to pay The interest on the
bonds, but every dollar of it would
be saved upon the one item of
rural delivery
OF the 10000 miles Of high
ways about goo, coo miles are post
roads, and about 500, 900 of these
are unimproved. The $500, 900 900
for national aid would give about
5000 mile, or about IS per cent.
OF the average cost Of building
hard roads upon these highways.
After ten years of study of road
building at home and abroad the
writer has reached the following
definite conclusions:
First.-That if we are to have
good roads within generation
the federal government must as
sist in building them.
Second.-That the government
contribution be pro rated among
the states as the work is done on
the basis of one-half the gross sum
upon the full road mileage of the
state and one-half upon the basis
of population. The plan works
out fairly to all the states. This
plan would make available out of
$500, 900, 900 approximately S25,-
900, 900 for New York. $50, 900 900
for Pennsylvania, So, 900, 600 for
Illinois, $1,000, 900 for Ohio,