The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-04

To the People of Alabans:
 The Alabama Good Roads Assocta- ton, of the State of Alabama, issued the following address to the voters or the State. in order to call their thoughtful attention to the importance of adopting the amendment to the Constitution. to be voted on at the general election in November, and to answer certain suggestions that have been urged against 1t, which are call culated to mislead the voters oy tne ingenious, but faulty, logic of those who are opposing 1t;
 "The absolute loss by bad roads to the farmers and people of Aabama, amounts to more than it costs to run the entire State government including the public school. the county govern. ments and the municipal governments.
 Have you any idea what our farm CTS are taxed a year on account or the bad roads? Take as example, to move one product alone. The crop or cotton for the year 1sos-o1 was one million. two hundred and fifty thou. sand bales. To move that one product GO that the farmer could get his crop to the railroad station, steam boat landings or cotton mill. take the aver" age haul of eight miles, and on ac- count of our bad roads. it costs twen- ty-fiva cents a ton a miles which makes a bale of cotton cost the farmer fifty cents to haul so that he can get it 10 the markets of the world.
 If we had good, hard roads such ss proposed by changing the amendment, it would cost ten cents c ton mile. which hale of cotton could be trans. ported for sixteen cbtltg from the farm to the steamboat landing. railroad sta- ton or cotton mills.
 This shows an absolute loss on every Na aa0VaA = tmAA 4Ea the year of 19O6-07, of thirty-four cents on each bale of cotton. The crop of l.2SO, 900 bales shows an absolute loss to the farmers of Alabama, for one year. of 3425,000. This 10 due to our bad roads. Take this average for ten years to move the cotton alone. would mean the enormous loss. absolutely no way possible ever to recover It. or 9425O 00O and which should have been In the pockets of the farners.
 We want to illustrate another farm prodlct that the farmers have. that IS the cotton seed Cotton seed sold for l90e-O7 was about 5000, 900 tons. The average haul on this from the farm to the cotton oil mills or the steam boat landing or the railroad station, ia about ten miles, On account of the Dad roads of Alabama, 1t costs twenty five cents Q ton amile to haul over our dirt roads. If we had good. hard roads. the cost would be reduced to te ncents a ton mile. This shows an absolute loss of s1.5o a ton to the farm CTS on every ton Of cotton seed he had to haul over our dirt roads.
 This shows an absolute loss on the cotton seed crop of s7S0.00e for one year alone. Take twenty years as an illustration, it would ahow an absolute loss sunk in the bad road. of Aiabamas no way ever to be recovered Of $l6,. 100000. This enormous sum would have been in the pockets of the farm. CTS instead of the mud. if Alabama had good roads.
 We want to illustrate another article ---the fertilizer. The fertilizer that the farmers buy in Alabama. which they have to haul from the merehAntss rail- road station and steamboat landing tc their farnnS they use about 800, Oet tons. But on account of the bad roads it costs them twenty-five cents tor q mile tb haul This ahows an abso' Iute loss on the fertilizer that thu farmeFs use foFsoEiB year to haul ovei our bad roads. sncA as we have in ths State of Atabames of e450.0oe year This should have. been in the pockets of the farmers.
 Take this illustration for the last twenty years and that will shnw ar absolute loss of s9.0o0.ooo to the farm CTS of Alabama. Take the cost undeI the present plan of nnaintenancs Of ths