Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1911-06-07
HELPS FARM VALUES.
GOOD ROADS INCREASE SELLING
VALUE OF RURAL PROP.
ERTY.
LARGE AND SURE RETURNS
Improvement Of Highways 10 Not
Matter Of Expense, but an Invest.
ment-With Good Roads the Farm
VIII Produce Greater Revenue.
BY HOWARD II. GROSS.

There is one very important factor
that people are apt to overlook, and
that is. the influence Of good roads on
The value of farm property. There is
no fact that is better established or
of which there is more abundant proof
than that good hard road leading
from the farm to the market will in.
crease the selling value of the farm far
more than the amount OF taxes re-
quired to be paid by the farmer to
build the road. Hence when the mat.
ter is analysed, 1t will be found that
the building of good roads is not
matter Of expense, but an investment
that pays a larger and surer return
than anything else one can name.
A progressive farmer will expend
money on building good fences, tile his
land, erect wind mills, barns, sheds,
covers for his machinery, plant trees,
and do many things to make his farm
more attractive. more useful and more
valuable. When a man has spent sew
eral hundred dollars on some OF these
improvements he figures his farm is
worth more than the amount expended
over what 1t was before. He Is will
Ing to expend money inside of his
boundary fences, but when asked to 20
out beyond this to the public highway
he is apt to feel that the amount Of
money spent is an expense that yields
him no direct return. In fact, in NO
community, SO far as the writer can
ascertain, after world wide study ex-
tending over 20 years. was the building
OF hard roads begun without the strong
est opposition from those who were
really to receive the largest benefit.
Dire predictions were made that the
property would be conflscated by the
taxation. that the building of the roads
would ruin the tax payer. But every
community that has had the expert
ence Of building hard roads. using
them and paying for them, has contin-
ued to build more and more from year
70 year. They found that while It
called for the expenditure of money to
meet the bills that 1t lightened their
burdens in many other ways. that It
made life better worth living, that
there was more social life in the
community, the children were better
satisfied to stay upon the farm, and
they could go to market any day in the
year they liked. and thus take ,adyan-
tage of the market instead of the mar
ket taking advantage of them.
1t is within the experience Of mil.
lions of farmers that they had grain or
live stock on hand ready to sell; the
price was right. but the roads were so
bad they could not reach the market.
A few weeks later when the roads i'm.
proved. perhaps there was drop in
the market.
The secretary of agriculture land
there is no higher authority says that
good roads. disable every day in the
year. SO the farmers can take advan-
tage of market conditions, are worth
two or three cents on every bushel Of
grain. and ten to thirty cents hun.
dred on cattle and hogs. Hence, with
good roads the farm will produce a
larger revenue. 1t is a more desirable
place to live and 1t is worth more
money.
II one were to go out to buy a farm.
and when he alighted at the railway