The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-08-01

lowing is an address Of Colonel H.
F. Yoakum, chairman, St Louis ana
Francisco Railroad company, deliver
ed before the National Good Roads
Association in session here.
Your organization stands for
duty sadly neglected by the govern
ment. Good roads mean more for
the people at large than any other
public work, and add more 10 the
comfort and upbuiding Of the cpun.
try. They are Of national 'mpor
tance.
Government statistics tell Ms that
il costs our farmers H. cents more tt
haul one ton one mile in this country
than il costs in European countries
The products of the farms Of the
United States last year amounted to
approximately $50 million tons. The
government shows the average haul
of a ton was nine miles. This diff
ference Of 10 cents ton per mile
represents an additional cost OF $l3J
a ton for an average haul OF nine
miles. Estimating that two-thirds
of the agricultural products OF last
year were hauled away from the
farms, there would have been saw
ing to the American farmers of 225
nil1on dollars 4 our roads had heel
up to the standard of European
roads, not including their back haul
OF supplies from the stations to the
farms. They would also have saved
large sums in the cost of replac-
ing and repairing harness, wagons
&c. and in the investment and care
of extra draught stock.
The only way to get good roads Is
TO fight for them. Your organiaa
tion can do its work most effectively
by keeping before the people in a
many ways as possible the impor
lance of making money by making
better roads. II Is not sentimen
tai proposition, but purely a bust
ness one.
There has been expended upon the
Mississippi river, including surveys
within the last 100 years 225 million
dollars to put that public highway II
condition for handling products o
the farm and commerce tributary t,
IT, The last statistics availabl,
show that in 1906 there were / mil
lion. 545 thousand tons less trans
ported on this river than in 1886
This 22j million dollars wa
expended between St Louis and Ney
Orleans, with the states of Missouri
Arkansas and Louisiana on the ives;
ern boundary, and the states of !
llnois, Tennessee and Mississippi o
the eastern. The farmers of thes
states which horder directly upon tn
Mississippi river, to say nothing q
those of the remaining 10 state,
have received no benefit from hi
vast sum wastefully expended b
the government, On the contrary
the farmers are paying as much "a
broken harness, broken wagons. Wi;
as much lost time. hauling one-haI
load 70 a team, rs they were b,
fCrC this 225 million dollars was e,
ptned. There has been no systemati
van for the Improvement o. tn
mississippi river. Therefore thl
great waste of money has been of II
benefit to the transportation of con
nerce or the development of agricu
ture, The same amount of money e,
pended in good road making woul
have yielded tremendous returns /
the people 1t is the duty of ever
citizen OF the United States TO al
the farmer in every way ConSistcu
with business principles to marke
his products To best advantage. an
in this connection no one factor
of more economic importance tha
the reduction of the cost of tran,
pOrtation between the farm and tn
railroad station
1t took throe-Quartels Of cenur
to build up the American railroad.
During the same time little attention
has been given to the building II
ot American country roads. Vet Ia
value of the two to The public goe
hand in hand Food and clothin
must De handled between the prC
ducer and the consumer over bot
the country road and the railroad
VI is important that the coun,r
roads approach the high standar
of the railroads
If a railroad encounters a hig
grade over d hill which means e>
cesSive use OF coal. SLOW trains am
light loads. The railroad cuts dow
the heavy grades to save coal bill.
fD NOV. fr,It,ht t,...,.