The Columbus commercial. (Columbus, Miss.) 1893-1922, 1908-10-29
IMPROVEMENT OF
PUBLIC HIGHWAYS
PRESIDENT FINLEY, OF THE SOUTHERN
RAILROAD, MAKES SOME PERTINENT
SUGGESTIONS REGARDING THE AD-
VAETAGES OF GOOD ROADS.
Editor The Commercial.
Columbus, Miss.

Dear Sir:-In their replies to
my letter of July 81, 1908, on
the subject of diversifcation of
Southern agriculture and indus
tries, some of the editors to whom
it was sent asked me to write to
them from time to time on mat
ters of interest to the people of
our section. This has led me to
take the liberty of addressing
you on a topic of Importance to
all our people and especially to
the farmers of the South.
If the farm is to be profitable
it must not merely produce abun-
dant crops, but its products must
be put where they can be sold
By whatever means of transpor-
tation they may ultimately be
carried before they reach the fl
nal consumer, our farm products
move primarily over the country
highway, and the condition of the
road leading from the farm to
the shipping point or to a near
by consuming center, such as a
manufacturing town, affects ma
terially the profits of the farmer
and the value of his farm. The
condition of the road controls the
size of the load that can be haul
ed over it and the speed at which
it can be carried. An improve
ment by which the farmer is en-
abled to carry, with the same We
hicle and the same team, a load
seventy-fve or one hundred per
cent heavier, will result in sub
stantial saving in his time and
in the wear and tear of his We
hicles and teams. The construc
ton of good roads leading from
market town has practically
the same effect as bringing the
ferns nearer to the town. 1t eX-
tends by several miles in every
direction the area of territory IN
which farmers can profitably en-
ga in market gardening and
dairying. That this true has
been effectively demon 5trated III
those localities In the Southern
States and in other sections of
the country where road i'm rove
ments have been carried out in
telligently and Systematically
The cost to the farmer of haul
ing his products over poor roads
is not always appreciated, for
the reason that it is rare that a
farmer pays for having his haul
ing done The United States De-
partment of Agriculture has
made an investigation of this
matter, however, and the results
show the cost for cotton, for in
stance, to be an average rate of
twenty-seven cents per ton per
mile for an average haul of lis
miles. That road improvement
would mat rally reduce this cost
is shown by the following strik
ing statement in the Year Book
of the Agricultural Department
for 1906:
If it were possible to increase
the average weight of wagon
load of cotton in the United
States from three bales, as it
now is, to four bales, without in
creasing the cost of hauling the
load, the saving on crop equal
to the one picked in 1905 would
amount to $4,000, 900; and if the
average load of wheat, now 55
bushels, were increased by 20
bushels, the saving effected in
hauling a crop like that of 1905
would be more than So, 600, 900. "
In addition to what may be
termed to the commercial aspect
of good roads they have highly
important social aspect as well.
They bring the farmer into closer
touch with the world at large.
He and his family are not forced
to remain at home for days at a
time because the condition of the
roads may make travelling un
pleasant if not difficult. Good
roads insure efficient and prompt
rural mail deliveries, placing the
newspaper on the table of the
farmer early on the day Of its
publication, enabling him to
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