The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-15

desire to work with you in every way l can in aiding in the development of Ala bama, l am, Very truly yours.
 B. F. YOAKUM. Letter from President Finley. Washington, October g, 1909. MT. J. A. Rountree. Secretary Alabama Good Roads Association, Birmingham, Ala.
 Dear Sir l have received your letter of the 30th ult., expressing the hope that since l wrote you on September H re oarding my inability to attend the meet ing of the Alabama Good Roads associa- ton in Birmingham on October IA ana 5, conditions had so changed as to make 1t possible for me to sattend this meet ing.
 1 appreciate very highly your desire to have me present. and regret that the in porIauI business. matters to Which l referred in my letter of the 1lst ut, cannot be postponed and that l cannot arrange to be in Birmingham on either day of the meeting
 If I could possibly be there it would give me great pleasure to meet the mem- bers of your association and to listen to 1 their discussion of the subject of road | improvement, and to present my views as to the importance of good roads to the progress and prosperity of the south. l gerate the importance of the improve ment of our country highways. Good roads benefit every member of the com munity including those who dwell in cities and towns, as well as those who reside in the country but they are of especial importance to the farmer Irans- portation is essential to profitable produc-
 ton in every line of industry If a fac- tory is to be successful 1t must be able
 to have its surplus product beyond what is needed for local consumption trans
 ported to markets where 1t is in de- mand If a farmer is to be successful and profitable the farmer must be able to send such of his products as are not consumed on the farm to markets in the nearby towns or in more distant parts of the country or even In roreign lands. The price of farm products Is fixed by the relation of supply and demand in the great consuming centers of the world. There is no one, therefore, who Is more
 vitally interested in the efficiency of transportation facilities of all kinds, both by water and by land, than Is the farmer.
 The interest of the farmer in trans portation facilities begins at his door. Whether his products are to be sold for consumption in a nearby town or wheth CT they are to be shipped to some more distant part of the United States pr ex- ported to a foreign country, their first movement must be by wagon over the country highway The condition of this road determines the size of load that can be carried over 1t and the speed at which 1t can be carried. If the road is in such bad condition that team can haul only small load, and that at a very slow pace, the cost to the farmer in the time of himself and his team and in the wear and tear on his team. har- ness and wagon may be several times as great as it would be if he could haul the same amount of farm produce the same distance over a highly improved road way.
 Another important argument in favor of the improvement of the country high ways Is that a good road increases the value of all the lands contiguous to it. This is true, no matter what may be the staple farm products of the community, but it is especially true in localities suit able for dairy farming and for the pro- duction of perishable fruits and vegeta- bles The time required for transporta ton to market town or to shipping point is an important factor in the sue cessful prosecution of these branches of agriculture. and good roads very greatly enlarge the area about market town or shipping point in which dairy farm ing and vegetable growing can be made profitable.
 Demand for Farm Products.
 Statistics indicate that the world de- mand for farm products is increasing at a faster rate than the production of such products is increasing. If this condition continues, the inevitable result must be profitable prices for practically every thing that is produced on the farm. The outlook for the farmer. therefore, is very encouraging, and believe that in no section of the United States are the prospects for profitable agriculture more favorable than they are in the south for the southern farmer has almost monop- oly of the production of the cotton neeh ed to supply the constantly increasing demand of the world. and has constantly broadening market, both in the southern states and throughout the northern sec tion of the United States, for his fruits and vegetables.
 If the southern farmer Is to derive the largest measure of benefit from these conditions improved transportation facil- ities are essential. He is interested in the improvement of the inland water ways of the south so far as they can be made efficient carriers of commerce He is interested in the improvement and in- crease of railway facilities from southern shipping points to northern markets and to the seaports. He is very vitally in- terested in having the best possible high way from his farm to the nearest market or shipping point. and I hope that this meeting of the Alabama Good Roads asso- ciation will be instrumental in developing a broader interest in road improvement and will bring about substantial results