The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-12-18
Not Only More Intensified
Farming But Reduction in
Operating Expenses
ROMANS had THE RIGHT
ECONOMIC IDA Of ROADS
Built Them os That the Asrart.H
Could Get Their Products to the Mar.
ket With q Minimum Expenditure
Of Energy.

topeka, Lec. lS.-"Wo must keer
the best farmers on the farms and
teach them to incfsase TIE: thl5 acre IS; y,ieid II
Of their Farms IN. order to prevent the
complete shutting OF of all exports
from America and the actual impor.
tatton from other countries "of things
We should produce ourselves" This
was the assertion Of President Wa
ters Of the state agricultural college
before the Good Roads congress here
today.
President Waters was discussing
the social and economic side of good
roads. Highways are more import
ant than railroads or waterways" he
said. Most Of the expense Of trans
'portatfon is before the product reach
es the railroads or rivers. Without
ease Of communication among the
farmers there is bound to be a re-
.duction Of the standard of men who
till the fields. We must have good
men on the farms as the acre yield
has not increased and the. Limit in
acreage has almost been reached ia
many quarters. The men must be of
the high grade. who can see and will
work to increase the yield in order
to provide sufficient food for our
growing population.
How Farms Have Been Deserted.
"At the beginning. of this govern
ment ninety-five per cent of the popu-
lation was on the fra1ns, and now on
ly forty per cent remain in the coun-
try. What is needed most is, good
roads to make 1t easy. to get to mar
ket, to get to church and school. The
intelligence of the farmers boys and
girls. will. be increased just as these
facilities are provided, and as good
roads come. so will the farmer i'm
prove"
Chancellor Strong of the University
of Kansas made an earnest plea for
the, association to work on an edu-
catfonal campaign to get the farmers
aroused to the value. Of good roads,
"The Romans knew more about roads
than anyone and they built highways
that have lasted for two thousand
years." he said. "The Romans built
these roads so that the farmers could
get their produce to market at q
minimum expense. When the farm
ers have been taught and actually
shown the value Of good roads they
will work for them, and when the
farmers set their minds to a thing It
is sure to come. 81
The University Will Help.
"At the university we are trying to
make the school useful to every COM
munity in the state. We want to help
this good roads movement. We
realize the value Of 1t. The engineer
ing part Of 1t is not d part of our
work now, but there is much sclen-
tlf!c work to be done in determining
the value Of materials and other
scientific tests and we will help in
every way to work out these prob
lens"
w. s. Gearhart. state highway en-
gineer. urged that the farmers
improve the dirt roads. When
they find how much easier It is to
haul goods over an improved dirt
road. he saia, they will soon see that
1t would be much easier to haul farm
products over rock roads. and these
will be sure to come. He recited
numerous instances in various coun-
ties where rcck roads followed the
improving Of dirt roads.
A Rpflway Mans Plea.
3 r.. j. Clancy, tax commissioner Of
tao, Union Pacific railroad u urged