The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1910-07-29
President Yoakum Points Out
Method Before National
Good Roads Association
FARMERS EXPENSES LARGELY
INCREASED BY BAD R0AES
Costs Fifteen Cents Per Ton Mile
More to Get Farm Products to Mar.
ket Than the Same Service Costs
in European Countries.

Niagara Falls. N. Y. July 29-The
National Good Roads association open
en- its annual convention here yes
terday. The principal speaker at the
session last night was B. F. Yoakum,
president of the st. Louis and San
Francisco Railroad company, whose
subject was Good Roads and How
to Get Them He said:
Your organization stands for a
duty sadly neglected by the govern
ment. Good roads mean more for the
people at large than any other pub
fort and upbuilding of the country.
They are of national Importance.
Government statistics tell US that
1t costs our farmers fifteen 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 amount
ed to approximately 250,000,000 tons.
The government shows the average
haul of a ton was nine miles. This
difference OF fifteen cents a ton per
mile represents an additional cost of
$1.35 ton for an average haul of
nine miles. Estimating that two
thirds of the agricultural products of
last year We're hauled away from
the farms, there would have been a
saving to the American farmers of
s25.000.000 If our roads had been up
to the standard of European roads,
not including their back haul Of sup
plies from the stations to the farms.
They would also have saved large
sums in the cost of replacing and re-
pairing harness, wagons. etc. and IN
the investment and care of extra draft
stock.
Must Fight
"'The only way to get good roads is
to fight for them. Your organiza-
ton can do it's work most effectively
by keeping before the people in as
many ways as possible the Importance
of making money by making better
roads. 1t is not sentimental propo-
sition. but purely business one.
There has been expended upon the
Mississippi river, including surveys,
within the last 100 years. $225 100000
to put that public water highway in
condition for handling products Of
the farm and commerce tributary to
it The last statistics available show
that in 1906 there was 1,545.0O0 tons
less transported on this river than in
1889 This $225.000,000 was expended
between st. Louis and New Orleans.
with the states of Missouri. Arkansas
and Louisiana on the western boun-
Diary and the states of Illinois. Ten
nessee and Mississippi on the eastern.
The farmers of these states which
horder directly upon the Mississip-
pi river. to say nothing of those Of
the remaining forty states. have re-
ceived no benefit from this vast sum
expended by the govern
ment. On the contrary, farmers are
paying as much for broken harness,
broken wagons with as much lost
time. hauling one-half load to a
team, as they were before this $685.
100000 was expended. There has
been no systematic plan for the i'm
provement Of the Mississippi river.
Therefore this great waste of money
has been of no benefit to the trans
portation Of commerce or the develop
ment of agriculture. The same
amount of money expended in good
road making would have yielded tre-
mendous returns to the people. 1t is
the duty of every citizen of the United
States to aid the farmer in every way
with business principles to
market his products to best advan-
tage. and in this connection no one
factor is of more economic Importance
than the reduction of the cost OF
between the farm and
the railroad station.
Long Work Ahead
'It took three quarters of a CEN
tury to build up the American rail-
roads. During the same time little
attention has been given to the build
ing up Of American country roads.
Yet the value of the two to the pub