Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1911-12-27
THE PRICE We PAY
WAT BAD ROADS cosr TIE


.,on. engaging the nakion's attention It
III. stage. none Il mcss vital or far-reach-
;ng than that Of good roads, particularly
IN those sections Of the country invaded
no the latter-day marvel. TIE motor car.
The various states Of ths union ars giving
~. matter serious consideration, Pennsyl-
vania notably 20 through II recent appro-
nris,;op Of 960, 100000 for better public
highways.
The United states government has been
arawn TO . close study Of the problem,
and ia going about Il in systsmatic, aggres-
.;va manner. In Warrington, D. c., 1t
ro~ has in operation an once for good
-osds. whose aim 10 expressed in the
slogan: aGood Roads from Farm to
Market"
Have you any idea how much we lose
from bad roadsf asked 9. w. Carpenter, in
the Chicago Tribwss. The scientists
estimate that the cost 10 over 100000 .
dsy. or in round numbers, about $780,
10000 year.
According to Logan Waller Page, who
has charge OF this road work, and who
perhaps knows moro about our roads than
any other man in the country, We have
about the worst roads Of any civilized
country ON earth. Europe Ii gridironed
with magnificent highways, and in
France, Germany and England One can
ride for miles without striking stone or
a puddle. Said Mr.. Page:
"The cost Of hauling over our country
roads is now about tweuty-three cents .
ton to the mile. In tho European countries
as long - eighteen years ago the cost was
reduced to ton csnts, and 1t IL much lower
to-day. On some Of the roads going into
London BY the motor cars now in use, it is
less than four cents, and by wagon freight
can be hauled almost anywhere on the
continent for from one-haif to one-third
its cost in the United States"
.'CAn you give mo some idea OF the saving
that good roads would brings"
RUNS INTO MILLIONS.
"Not sccuratsly,n replied MIR. Page,
"but can show you some figures which
will convince you that it will run into the
hundreds Of millions OF dollars.
according to the report Of the inter-
state commerce commission in 1905 our
railroads handled more than SOC, O00, 600
tons Of freight which originated on their
respective lines. All this had to be taken
to and from the cars. A great deal ~ II
was made up Of the products Of the farm
and the forests, and IL u estimated that at
least 400 ,OOO, 600 tone ut It had haul Of
nine miles at cost Of % cents ton.
That bill alone would represent more than
ts32, O00, 600, and other freights and hauling
would run the sum to s500, 0o0, 600 or over.
Now suppose we cut the wagon freight
bill in half, or II cents ton, which is still
far above the cost Of hauling in Europe,
and the saving would be t260.0O0,0O .
year.
Indeed, 1t il impossible to over-esti-
mate our loss by bad roads," continued
Mr.. Page. 1.-THE Fruitgrowers' Associ-
alton OF Oregon lost in one year by dam
aged fruit from the Willamette valley,
owing TO bad roads, s2W,0oo. The cost to
the fruit crop 10 enormous, and it ID 30
with every crop Of the farmer. Take the
wear and tear on the horses. We have
more than 1,p0, 600 draft animals, which
are worth moro than S2,0oo, 100000.
''Bettsr the roads and the work could be
done with half the number, making saw
ing Of q, 900 in capital. We have half
million harm wagons manufactured each
year. The wear and tear upon them runs
high into the millions
'And then look ct the money which the
farmer makes BY getting his crops to the
market on time. Wheat and cotton have
rapid changes in prices. In 1907 the range
OF wheat ct Minneapolis was from seventy
six cents to el.19 q buahel, and there was q
difference in the selling price OF corn at
Chicago Of twenty-four cents bushel.
II the man got his grain to the market
while the prices were high, he did well;
but II the bad roads kept him back be had
to take low figure.
'sThis loss from bad roads prevails all
over the country, but especially in the
Anhntisen.mtk