Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-29
OPEN THIRD GOOD
ROADS CONGRESS
Speakers Advocate Cooperation
of National and Subordi-
nate Governments
B. F. YOAKUM MAKES ADDRESS
Railroad President FaVorS Loan
ing States Money for I'm
proving Highways
B. F. YOAKUM MAKES ADDRESS
(Assooiated Press)

NIAIAttA rAkllEos M July 90
Cooperation between the federal and
state governments in the good roads
movement was advocated today by the
speakers at the opening session of the
third annual convention Of the Ma
tional Good Roads congress.
B. r. Yoakum of the st. Louis &
San Francisco railroad and Congress
man William Sulzer of New York fa-
vored the idea of the federal govern
good road building. In the general
discussion which followed Martin
Dodge Of Washington spoke in favor
of the national government making
appropriations equal to the amount ex-
pended by the state for road construc-
tion.
YOAKUM MAKES SPEECH
B. F. Yoakum, the railroad magnate,
made a speech that was the feature of
today's proceedings. He said In part:
"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 it
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 United
! States last year amounted to approx
| mately 250 million tons. The govern
ment shows the average haul Of ton
was miles. This difference of 10 cents
a ton per mile represents an, additional
| cost of $1.35 ton for an average haul
! of miles. Estimating that two-thirds
of the agricultural products of Hast
year were hauled away from the farms,
there would have been a saving to the
American farmers of 225 million dol
lars If our roads had been up to the
standard of European roads, not in
! cluding their back haul of supplies
! from the stations to the farms. They
would also have saved large sums In
| the cost of replacing and repairing har-
ness, wagons, etc., and in the invest
ment and care of extra draught stock.
1.-THE only way to get good roads is to
! fight for them. Your organization can
| do it's work most effectively by keep
! ing before the people in as many ways
as possible the Importance of making
money by making better roads. 1t is
not sentimental proposition, but pure
/ ly business one.
PUBLIC MONEY WASTED
"There has been expended upon the
| Mississippi river, including surveys
within the last 100 years $225 000, 900 Il
put that public water highway in con
| dition for handling products of the
farm and commerce tributary to 1t
| The last statistics available show thai
in 1906 there were 1,545,000 tons less
| transported OF this river than in 1889
This 1925, 900, 900 was expended between
/ ST. Louis and New Orleans, with the
/ states of Missouri, Arkansas and
| Louisiana on the western boundary
! and the states of Illinois, Tennessee
and Mississippi on the eastern. The
farmers of the states which border
directly upon the Mississippi river to
say nothing of those of the remaining
/ forty states, have received no benefit
/ from this va sum wastefully ex-
pended by the government. On the
contrary, the farmers are paying as
much for broken harness, broken
wagons, with as much lost time, haul
ing one-half load to a team, as they
were before this $225.0O0,0OO was ex-
pended. There has been no systematic
| plan for the Improvement of the Mis-
sissippi river
LESSONS FROM RAILROADS
''It took quarters of 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 value
of the two to the public goes hand in
hand. Food and clothing must be han
died between the producers and the
consumers, over both the country road
and the railroad. 1t is important thai
the country roads approach the high
standard of the railroads.
"If railroad encounters high grade
over a hill, which means excessive use
of coal slow trains and light roads
the railroad cuts down the heavy grade
to save coal bills, to move freight fast
er, to carry bigger train loads. 1t bor-
rows millions to do the grade cutting
pays tho interest on this money, anc
through this economy is enabled to In
crease it's surplus. The railroads bor'
row money to make stronger culverts
and bridges to bear heavier engines
and steel cars Then they must bor'
row more money to buy the large loco
motives and big cars, all of which
add to the efficiency of these steel high
ways
"The country road makers have no
kept up with the railroad makers
They, too, must get money to cut dowr
grades, to get smooth, hard surfaces
to proyide good drainage and to re
duce the cost Of maintenance Whel
this is done the farmer can go from
his farm to his market or shipping sta
tion quicker and carry a bigger load
THE firm road bed and smooth, heav,
steel make the railroads cars and en-
gines last longer, and the substantial
we'll made country road makes thu
farmers horses, wagons and harness
n last longer. The saving to the rail
road is only as mall fraction of {
cent on each ton hauled one mile, whi1'
the saving to the farmer is Is cent
a ton a mile. This difference in cos
of hauling will often turn a losini
farm into a paying one.
1.-THE agricultural people of the coun'
try are beginning to realize their owr
situation. They are commencing serl'
ously to study economic questions
They are beginning to figure theil
time as worth money. When your as
y sociation places the facts before tht
owners of the six million farms, wht
represent, according to government es'
Inmates, including their families, near
! ly one-third of our population, anC
gets them to realize what good roads
! mean to them, we will then have gooC
roads. They will vote for men as pub
lie servants who will encourage an(
vote to help along the work of get
ting good roads The duty of thu
National Good Roads association II
J of greater Importance today than i
has ever been before.
''It is to good roads that this coun
trv must look largely for Its future
growth and development
eve have two million one hundred
thousand miles of public roads. From
the best information obtainable ther'
are about $4,000 miles, or two mile