The independent-reporter., 1910-09-29

VAA aESpiy AAAAfA dAiA noN ndhi
ak or seven In considerably less time
on the more modern roads that have
been constructed for the purpose. The
new roads have not only justified
themselves I'm theory, they have al
ready paid for themselves over and
over again In actu i dollars and cents
BRINGS FARMS NEARER MARKET.
Second. II therefore. We work upon
such an accepted principle Of eco
nomic value as the above. the farms
OF our State are valuable exactly IL
proportion to the distance from MAJ
ket facilities and the conditions of the
roads over which the supplies and
produce must be transported. Or il
other words. 10 be brief as indeed We
must many farms in Maine which are
exceedingly rich and productive, have
IN reality a low market value solely
because of their inaccessibility, OF
because OF the wretched condition OF
the roads, which often connect these
/ farms with the greater centers oi
population. Above all the states OF
New England, Maine certainly should
have the most rapid means of trans
portation since we are by nature 10
Cdltu dl the 6itdACSl uiSbdhNC ilNbi
the economic center.
Third: The very fact that our eli
mate is so vigorous places US at a
natural disadvantage. Our spring and
summer are exceeding short; in fact
the frost is scarcely well out Of the
ground before it begins to freeze
again. Now it is perfectly well un=
/ derstood principle in road mainte-
] - 10 ft,Ct &c
good as its poorest and weakest spot
/ Or, in other words, if certain section
of q long haul is miry and impassa
BILE, the whole road remains impassa-
BILE until that one section is dried OUT
/ by the sun or filled temporarily fol
teaming. How many hundreds OF
miles of the natural roads in our
State are actually in this condition SO
that the roads themselves are unser=
vicable until we'll into May, perhaps
in a wet and backward season, until
the first of June. Apply this principle
to the region that you know so well
nd answer the question for yourself
There is one more phase OF eco
nomic value to our farm lands that /
wish to bring to your attention and
this is the one that we have most
ne elected. | refer to the hilly, unpro
ductive land on which we now find the
greater part of our abandoned farms
For it is matter of general knowl=
edge that Maine is a hilly State pos
sessing large areas of rock soil which
has little value except for grazing
purposes.
NEW HAMPSHIRES EXPERIENCE
Let me ask you a question: Are
these farms on that account value
less? For my own answer | will sim
ply refer you to the once deserted
farms of New Hampshire. which IN
earlier years were used for tempo
rary grazing grounds for the droyes Of
cattle which were driven each year
.cm the northern states over the d
rect routes to the Boston markets
Those were the days before the re
frigerator cars when the cattle
were delivered on the hoot in the
great markets of New England
The best examples of these de
serted hillside farms may be found
IN Dublin, Nelson and other hill towns
n New Hampshire. | have a friend
who, four or five years ago. purchased
a deserted farm on the top of a beau
tiful hill in Nelson for the small sum
of $S00-hOuse stable and dilapidated
equipment included. Last summer he
was offered $1,000 for the same place
and he had not spent $500 in improve
ment in the meantime. The whole
region had suddenly become fashion
able. as ii did in Dublin few years
before. and the choicer locations are
now bringing, comparatively speak
ing, fabulous prices and are already
crowned with exquisite summer resi-
dences. | know of a half dozen re
gions in the State OF Maine that are
fully as beautiful as those famous re
sorts OF New Hampshire Today the
land is considered almost yalueless
but some day 1t will be worth tenfold
its present market value-and that
day will come just as soon as Maine
makes these regions accessible over
good roads, just as the state OF NeW
Hampshire has already been doing fol
the last ten years. New Hampshire
now reaping its rich reward. we ar
still waiting and wondering
IGoOD ROADS AND SUMNER TRAY
Ell
These then are hut a few Of the
economic reasons why the constfuc
ton of fine permanent highway
throughout our State is our present
greatest economic problem | have
used the word greatest" after due
thought; honestly believe that We
have no economic problem today that
compares with 1t in importance The
reasons which have been cited here
are, | think sufficient of themselves
although they make no mention what
ever of an even more vital problem
namely: Are we maintaining our hold
upon the travelling public as a fayorite
vacation ground for our country !
speak sincerely and honestly when I
say-after careful study covering Two
or three years-that We are in immi
nent danger of losing this enormous
economic asset--not as "a whole of
course, but eertainly in large part
Two wears ago | made as eNhaus-
tive a study as I could concerning the
changes thar seemed 20 BE- t"kinR
place in the character and trend of
summer travel in our country I theu
drew attention ~ the fact that iJ we
hoped % retalu nur share o. lb.a im
mensely proftehle business Va must
make our great vacation grounds aC-
cessihle to the automobile tourist Just
as New Hampshire has already been
doing for some years suggested %
plan of trunk lines for our State con