The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1909-06-03
COST OF POOR ROADS
Waste of Labor In Hauling Crops
to Market.
WHAT THE MUD TAX FIGURES.

Six Hundred Million Dollars Is the
Price We Pay Annually For Our
Impossible Highways-What Is Be-
ing Done to improve Them.
1t cost little over billion dollars
to haul the farm crops Of America to
market last year. With good roads.
roads such as are to be found in some
parts Of America and In all parts Of
France, the marketing Of the crops
would have cost S4OO,OOO.C0O Six hun
dred million dollars per year. then. Is
the price we pay in this land Of the
free for having impossible roads. says
writer in the st. Louis Times. Did
ever 4 nation spend so much for so
doubtful a luxury before? With Amer
lean roads lying open and fathomless
before the eyes of our foreign critics,
what monstrous injustice it is to talk
Of American dollar worship!
Most men Of middle age can recall
the annual picnic known as mending
the roads. Just why It got that name
no one has ever explained, for in prac-
tically every case the picnic left the
roads in worse condition than before
The law in many states prescribed
that each resident Of rural district
must pay certain road tax in labor
! each year. The payment of this tax
was done under the supervision of a
local officer. known as the pathmaster.
The customary time of payment was
/ In the early summer, just before hay
/ ing time, when there wasn't much else
for the men and teams to do. The
neighborhood turned out with horses
and plows and .harrows. ripped up
diverse sections of highways which
the years travel had packed to more
or less navigable condition, rounded
them up nicely in the middle and
scratched them up smooth with the
| harrows. You were never expected to
work very hard at these festive occa-
sions. and the pathmaster who insisted
on real work soon found himself un-
popular. 1t was Just as WELL for. since
nobody had any knowledge Of road
making. the more work the worse re-
suits.
What some Of these results were and
are we have vivid testimony Across
Iowa last winter the ''raeing" autos
had to take to the railroad tracks be-
cause the common roads were simply
impossible. Last March some mis-
guided creatures began an automobile
race from New York to Savannah. Ga
1t was just at the opening Of naviga-
tion on the country roads of the mid
die south, the time when the roads arc
too thin for wheels and too thick for
boats. Across Virginia each racing
automobile had an escort of six mules
to pull 1t out Of extra deep mudholes
and to haul its emergency rations OF
gasoline. Usually this was enough, but
when an auto was so thoughtlcss as to
stay in the mudhole all night the mule
teams had to be doubled and all the
negroes of the neighborhood comman
deered to service before that particu
lar contestant could proceed. The
racers averaged four mics per hour
across the Old Dominion-a perfectly
stunning rate Of speed. all things con
sidered
And yet the roads Of America arr
vastly better than they once were. ant
the Improvement Is going on apace
The United States government is lend
ing hand by setting its spare scien
fists to work teaching the people O
RI hny RI ai-xl hc hnS
roads at the least cost. The states ar
doing vastly more New York in 100,
voted to spend $5O,OO0.O00 on her high
ways. and, while no other state Is in
/ vesting in roads at that rate. all ar
, doing something
Cities are finding it good business t
improve the roads leading out into th
> farming region. the farmers are begin
ming to tax themselves In u ratiana
| fashion for highway Improvement. am
many philanthropists have passed b
. the conventional college and librar
donation to spend their surplus fund
On good roads. Historic inudholes ar
being slowly filed up, stone and cor
crete are replacing the crazy wocde
bridges, and hundred invention
have been made TO help get the hes
results for the lowest expense.
Some Of the last deserve attention
. Macadam roads have long been az
: cepted as the standard Of higlwa
construction. But macadaIn roads {
: the old pattern, with crushed ston
:. eight inches thick. cost from $4,000
!. $1,000 per mile Now 1t has bee
! found that three or four inches wi
! do quite as well. and the cost Is CT
! sauarely In two In some parts Of til
:. central states, where crushed stone
: rare. II has been found that the yer
clay which makes the roads almost III
:. pHssahle Is the best trackmaking nj
!. terial when burned In yet ether r
gions the farmers have discovere
:. how to make good roads Ivy tl1n simp
e1pedient Of rolling er dragging the
!, after each rain. and IN yet other plac'
!. q mixture Gf sand and clay. costil
. s:aG0 Or 500 mile. IS found almo
as good as the best macadam.
:. It IS well that the roadnlaking m
terials are abundant and varied. +
there are roads enough in the Unit
States TO reach eightysix times arou'
the earth at the equator ard near
4 all those roads are lad The adv
?. Gates Of good highways will find ann
room for their missionary enterpri
: for q generation to come.