Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-09-04
Need Highways Districts Figures

1,HE railroad system Of Nebraska
is quite extensive. there being
over 5000 miles In the state,
k--s--A eighty-five out OF ninety-two
kMIEflNl counties being traversed by rail-
~ roads II IL not so fortunate,
however in the matter OF good high
ways, for with the exception Of New
Mexico and Oklahoma, Nebraska has the
smallest percentage OF improved roads Of
any state. Out OF a total Of 5000 miles
in the state, there was. according to sta
tstics compiled by the United States Of
flee Of public roads in 1904, only 90 per cent
Of this vast mileage surfaced with stone or
gravel. In other words. there was at that
time only one mile Of good road in the
state to every 1885 miles Of public road.
About the only Improved roads In Ne
braska worthy OF the name we're in Doug
las county in the neighborhood Of Omaha.
When these figures are compared with
those OF other states they are still more
amazing In Massachusetts for instance,
IS per cent Of the roads have been i'm
proved, while In Ohio and Indiana from
80 TO IS per cent OF the roads have been inn
proved. IL would. therefore, appear that
the question Of good roads is one which
has been sadly neglected In Nebraska
Comparing the roads OF Nebraska with
those Of the whole country, II is found that
the total mileage for the United States in
1904 was 2,l55,O00 miles, Of which 10000
miles had been surfaced with stone, 5000
with gravel ana 1000 with other materials,
total OF about $4,000 miles, or ia per cent.
Nebraska spent on public roads In 1904.
sS,St47.4O but the expenditure for the whole
country was about $s0OO0,OO0 or almost 100
times as much. The average road tax in
o.. ari,R
worth Of taxable property, but the average
for the United states was Is cents, while
the average for Iowa was 90 cents New
Hanpshire 4S cents. Oregon 81 cents and
Washington % cents. In 1904. large por-
ton OF the road tax Of Nebraska was paid
in labor. This system never has contrl-
buted very much towards the permanent
imp oyement OF the roads Of any state.
1t was fortunate for Nebraska that this
metl. cd Of paying taxes has been largely
abolished recently.
1t is well known that improved roads
add TO the value OF agricultural land and
that in the states or counties which have
good highways the value Of the land is
higher on the average than in those states
or counties which have poor roads, and,
while road building Is only one factor
which controls the price OF land, 1t is
certainly a very important one.
In this connection It is interesting to
note that in 1905 the average price OF
land in Nebraska, according to the Bun
Of Statistics, was ss1 per acre. The average
value Of land in Indiana, according to the
same report was $54 per acre. but in Ind-
ana about IS per cent of the roads have
been improved. The average price of land
in Ohio was $57 per acre, while SO per cent
of the roads had been improved. On the
other hand. 1t has been observed that in
those states which have a small percent
age of improved roads the land is con-
sidered less valuable. For instance, the
land of Arkansas is valued on the average
at SIG per acre and only 6 Of / per cent
of the roads have been improved. while
the land of Texas Is valued at Sl1 per
acre on the average and that state has
only IL per cent of the roads improved
The roads of Nebraska are located, as
In many other states where the land was
laid out by the government on section
lines. Assuming forty feet to be the aver
age width OF section line roads in Me-