The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1909-07-31
GOOD ROADS

There IN no doubt that the minds Of
, the people Of our city and county are
less concerned with the question Of
good roads than most any thing else,
nj least for the present. There are
other things demanding attention such
IN written here ir merely TO take into
account the Importance Of good roads.
A startling article appeared the other
week In Golfers Weekly entitled
"0ood Rods" Therefore what shall
be noted In but a review of that arti
Gle.
The writer introduces his subject by
saying "hunger and illiterary stalk
along our ll.kept highways. Two hun
dred and ATTY million dollars a year
are wasted ON bad roads In the United
States. Added to loss on haul, the
storage and extra food rates makes the
total expense one billion dollars a
year. This means q tax Of $3.50 on
every man, woman, and child in the
country. Corners in grain markets are
frequently the result Of had roads. In
four bad road states three hundred
and seventy.hve thousand people out
Of seven million can not read or write;
In four good road states out Of six
million population there are twenty
thousand iliterates."
After these sentences 81 pregnant
with facts he asks the question EDO
good roads concern youf' His an
swer TO the question In full Of every
day common sense reasoning. "When
the price Of wheat goes up from 20
cents to a dollar and thirty cents q
bushel, and the price Of potatoes from
- cents to sl.25, and the price Of
bread from six to ten cents, aud the
price Of lou from $3.50 to $3.50 per
barrel-do those facts concern yOui
IL they do you are vitality interested
in good roads," lie proceeds TO dem
onstrato how as q result Of bad roads
IL 10 possible TO obtain q corner on
wheat. lie first admits that IL IN pos
nible to obtain a corner on wheat he
cause IL IL searce-the demand grow
ing faster than the supply; but In the
next place because Of bad roads. Con.
tinuing lowing to the condition Of
the roads II is possible for spectators
TO get possession of the whole years
crop VI wheat. The West IL the great
grainary of the wheat supply today;
and in the West wheat must be rushed
90 market in the clear dry autumn days
when the prairie roads are hard as
flint. IL the farmer held his wheat
over past the dry weather, IN the most
Of counties he simply could not de-
liver during the late autumn rains
or early spring breakup when roads
are a churn Of mud. The result Is,
for three months after each crop, there
IN q glut Of wheat at elevator, railroad
water front. A large proportion Of the
crop goes in storage. These storage
charges amount in n grain center like
Chicago TO as much rs nine cents q
bushel in 4 year. On Minnesota q
wheat crop, storage charges mount NJ
TO 5000, 600; on the two Dakota s
twice M much, and 80 for every grain
area on the continent. The farmer
does not pay those storage charges at
waterfront. The Spectator does not
he adds those charges to the selling
price; and the man who pays Is the
buyer-you, Mr.. Man, who eat dear
bread all because some mud road back
in the hoosier state has not been grad
ed up properly" SO mucn for the
poor consumer as a result Of bad roads
The writer shows that the yearl,
economic waste from bad roads IL one
billion dollars. That waste would con
struct 100000 miles Of Allmacadan
each year or In ten years would trans
form every country road into a vert.aOl'
Appian Way. lie tells how this econ
'omie waste effects the farmer. wher'
all the 100000 miles Of roads In thu
United States improved, where nov
only seven per cent are, the big DEF
icit Of waste on haul, on storage, OF