The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1910-12-02
ROAD NEGLECT
BY Government
Railway Man Shows Money Is
Wasted on Highways.
WILL Save FARMERS MILLIONS

B. +. Ycakum Talks to National Con-
vsntion on Development of Country
as Proof Tha. Highways Should Be
Improved by National Appropriation.
One of the most interesting addresses
delivered before the National Good
Roads association at Niagara Falls
recently was that Of B. F. Yoakum,
chairman of the St. Louis and San
Francisco Railroad company The key
note of his address was that the gov
ernment wastes enough to build all
highways and, the saving to farmers
Of millions Of dollars. The salient
points of his speech were:
Your organization stands for duty
sadly neglected by the government.
Good roads mean more for the people
at large than any other public work
and add more to the comfort and up
building of the country. They are of
national Importance.
Government statistics tell us that K
costs our farmers Is cents more to
haul one ton one mile in this country
than it costs in European countries
The products of the farms Of the Unit
ed States last year amounted to ap-
proximately 25O,O00,OOO tons. The gov
ernment shows the average haul of a
ton was nine miles. This difference of
10 cents ton per mile represents an
additional cost of $1.35 ton for an
average haul Of nine miles. Estimat-
ing that two-thirds of the agricultural
products of last year were hauled
away from the farms, there would
have been a saving to the American
farmers of $225,O0O,OO0 if our roads
had been up to the standard of Euro
pean 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,
etc, and in the investment and care of
extra draft stock.
1T took three-quarters of a century
to build up the American railroads.
During the same time little attention
has been given to the building up of
American country roads. Yet the val
ue of the two to the public goes hand
in hand. Food and clothing must be
handled between the producers and
the consumers over both the country
road and the railroad. 1t is important
that the country roads approach the
high standard of the railroads.
THE greatest value of good roads
will be to the farmers who have not
as yet become interested. You have
not yet found q way to reach them to
properly place your arguments and
statistics before them. They need to
be shown that the poorest roads are
the most expensive roads. They have
not been shown that their broken wag-
ons. broken harness and blacksmith
bills cost them more than the cost of
having good roads. They have not
been shown that a four dollar day
team can do twice the work over good
roads. which makes that team worth
to them IS q day. The way to get good
roads is to make all the people know
them and keep them constantly in
mind. The transportation system
which carries our food and clothing
from maker to user is part railroad
and part country road. One part is as
necessary as the other Your organi-
zation in it's support of the betterment
of our public highways should talk in
millions instead of thousands.
I'VE have 100000 miles of public
roads From the best information OBJ
tainable there are about $4,000 miles.
or two miles out of each 100, under a
high standard of improvement. There
are not more than 175.OOO miles. or
eight miles out of each 100. under any
kind of improvement. In other words.
we have 1.925.O0O miles of public roads
which are in as poor condition now as
they We're when they were laid out by
our early settlers and pioneers.
IF we build 100000 miles of public
highways annually for ten years and
give to this country 100000 miles of
good public roads at an average cost
of $4,000 mile. or $500. 100000 annual
ly. we will be engaging in national
development the advantages of which
III ecOuOIllleS. COulueTCe. cOMlOTtS ana
enhanced land values none can fore
tell. We will be accomplishing some
thing worth while. This work of car
ried on by counties and townships as
at present will be very slow. 1t should
be encouraged under broad. compre-
hensive plan outlined by the federal
government. cooperating with the
states. The agricultural department
of the government is in sympathy with
all things that tend to improve our
public road system.
Your association should have ag-
gressive organizations in every state
and have working relations with all
commercial. manufacturing and agri-
cultural institutions. While | can
speak but for one system of railroads,