The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-10-15

there is no better people in the world
but they have neglected one of the
greatest problems and that is the prob
lem Of our roads. have been raising
my voice for twenty years or more
for better highways, and I have more
enthusiasm each year as I study the
subject. and the bad roads are the most
expensive burden of taxation that the
people have ever had to bear.
This is not a partisan question nor
Is II fractional. The platform of good
roadism Is broad enough to take in
every citizen--it makes no difference
to what party or faction they may be-
long; II IL absolutely bipartisan and
unfactional and 1t Is of far more Inn
money question or any public ques-
ton before the people of Alabama
The cost OF the bad ROADS to the
people of Alabama is more than II takes
to run the State government. the coun-
ty governments and the municipal gov
ernments. This is a startling declara-
ton to make. but they are facts
Let ME exemplify to you to move
one product, the average crop of L.
100000 bales of cotton a year, SO you
can get your cotton to the railroad
station, to the steamboat landings and
to the markets of the world. The
average haul of eight miles Is SO cents
bale on account of the bad roads
that we have m our State. If we had
good roads the cost would be reduced
and would be about sixteen cents a
bale. That is an absolute loss of "a
cents on each bale of cotton. Take
annually, and 1t Is $s40. 700: take this
average for forty years. and ii would
be another absolute loss amounting to
$l3, go; 0eo. sH'.S'e g. .9.t''.'
Il Oh ell .,,e4a
pie to the farmers and their wives.
The average amount of cotton seed
that the farmer has to sell Is about
500. 900 tons: the average haul is about
ten miles before he can get to the
railroad station, the steamboat land
ings, and the cotton seed mills, is 25
cents a ton a mile. II he had good
roads it would be ten cents a ton a
mile. This shows the absolute loss of
$780, 900 tons at $3.50 on each ton,
making s750,000. an absolute loss an
nually.
Take that for forty years since ]
have known the State, that would be a
further loss of s3O.0OO,oOO; add that to
the other items and you win see what
this great tax Is on the farmers. We
have heard so much about the fertili-
ger and the poor farmer agitated in the
recent campaign that the railroads
were charging the poor farmers toe
much to haul their fertilizer. Ny
friends. believe there is about 100000
tons of fertilizer used a year by the
farmers OF Alabama, and 1t costs them
25 cents ton mile to haul their fer
tilizer from the railroad stations. the
steamboat landings or the merchants
store. The average haul OF ten miles
IL the roads were made good and built
permanently, would be abozlt 10 cents
a ton a mile. This Is an absolute loss
of $3.50 on every ton Of fertilizer the
farmer has to haul over the bad roads
of our State. This is an absolute loss
of 100000 annually to the farmers OF
Alabama; or take this for forty years
and that would be $24.000.000 more.
compare the agricultural position
of our state. which Is only 30 per cent;
take the state of Iowa and it's agri-
cultural position Is 1913 per cent. How
to improve this? Why build good
roads, so that we will not count dis
tance by miles, but by time. Time
must be economical and good roads
economize time and forces travel and
transportation of products py the cas-
lest methods at the least cost.
1.-The Alabama Good Roads Associa-
ton is volunteer body of patriotic
citizens who have from time to time
given their labor for the purpose OF
agitating and educating the citizenship
of Alabama and the nation to the i'm
portance Of the great economic. social
problem for better roads,