Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-11-19
GOOD ROADS The
WAY TO PROGRESS

WAY To PROGRESS.
tBy Logan Waller Page. Director OF the United
States Office Of Public Roads. the Department Of
Agriculture. in The Worlds Work.
On top of hill on the lower Browns
vile road. running out of Jackson, Tenn,
there was, few years ago. big farm
which had come into the possession of
a bank as satisfaction for debt. 1t
could not be sold, and it was rapidly fall
ing into neglect. Only part of it was
rented. and that for only 500 year
Suddenly all this was changed. A real
estate dealer purchased the tract at a
good price, divided it into three farms,
and immediately sold it again. Houses
were built. fruit trees were planted.
and thrift and industry prevailed where
Incidence and improvidence had existed
but short time before. The reason for
all this was that the lower Brownsville
road had been changed from long
streak OF mud to an improved highway
The building of the road had come
about in this way. The levee roads
leading into Jackson had been cordu-
royed to allowed travel over them in
winter. Mr.. Sam. G. Lancaster per-
suaded the county officials that macada-
MIXING these roads would be q cheaper
and more lasting improvement. and so
it proved TO be. Then came a good
roads convention. and the building of a
l,000-foot, object-lesson road. II aroused
good deal of enthusiasm, but no definite
steps were taken. Then came the "win-
ter of great mud" in 1923. The roads
were impossible; it required two strong
mules TO draw a milk wagon with two
milk cans, and all day was consumed in
going few miles. For more than six
weeks this condition prevailed. No one
attempted to pass over these roads
except in case of dire necessity. The
farmers were locked in and all trade
was stopped. The opportune moment
had arrived. A mass-meeting of the
citizens was called and all those who
could get to it came. In the midst of
the debate about the necessary bond
issue, farmer arose and said:
'Mr. Chairman, ! am just plain
farmer and have NO business trying to
talk in this meeting. ] am all covered
with mud; there is mud on my boots and
all over my clothes, and my hat is all
spattered up, too. walked to this
meeting because my horse couldn't
travel the roads. I've got little farm
and ssw-mill out on the Poplar Corner
road, just little over two miles from
town, and. if could climb up on hard
road with my truck and what lumber
I've sawed. could clear enough in one
day to pay my tax on that road; but /
haven't got it. S.zS -
Il bought some groceries from you
(turning to a merchant) this month;
yes, So worth, for / carried them out
on my back; but, if had good road,
it would have been $25, am sure, ---
The bonds were issued. AS soon as
the construction of the roads began,
the land values in the county began to
go up-in some cases, from 20 to 100
per cent.
New families from adjoining counties
and states are constantly coming in,
some to make their homes in the city
and others wanting farms on the good
roads" Still others, looking ahead and
anticipating profits, have made pur-
chases five and six miles back from
these roads, paying largely increased
prices. So much for the influence of
good roads upon single farm, and up
on a community. On the nation the
effect would be the same, only infinitely
multiplied.
A team of horses, struggling along a
mud road in the endeavor to draw half a
load. affords a striking object-lesson
when compared to a team drawing a
heavily loaded wagon at a comfortable
trot along a stone-surfaced road. This
isolated example must be multiplied by
three million in order to obtain the
cumulative effect of bad roads upon
traffic in the United States. Not less
than $3.50, 900, 900 is the useless tribute
annually levied upon the people of the
United States by its bad roads. Ir
1896. widespread inquiry made by the
Office of Public Roads indicated that
the average cost of hauling on roads il
the United States was twenty-five cent.
per ton per mile. In 1906, just ter
years later. the Bureau Of Statistics as
certaiued from their $500 county cor
respondents that the average cost pc
ton per mile was about twenty-five,
cents and the average length of hau
9.4 miles This rate is exceedingl,
conservative, and can be safely accepte,
as basis of calculation.
! The report of the Interstate Com
merce Commission for the year ende