The Stanford interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1911-1912, 1911-04-25

county. The state will also help, andl
the result will be $50 10 500 miles oil
first class highways, covering the
county with Detroit as a center Byl
spreading the payment over 20 years i'll
II found the Increase In taxation Ii so
small as not TO be noticeable. On an
average 80 acre farm II will be some
thing like $3.50 n year
Roads well built are permanent
given a moderate amount 81 attention
and expense for maintenance.
There Is no reason why the present.
generation should carry the whole bur,
den. and the future should be relieved
thcrefrom
Tho plan Of building a small piece o.
road every year by an annual tax, and b..
extending the road mile or two at
time Is unsatisfactory In results. the
cost n considerable more than IL
should be. and Il takes a long time to
get the roads. n 20 miles we're built
az one time In n township. there would
be strong competition among contract.
ors and the tax payers would ind they
could get their roads from 10 to rs
per cent less money. that they would
have better built roads and would have
them to use Of once instead OF waiting
ten years or more 20 build them piece
neal and have the FIRST mile practi.
colly worn out before the last one was
finished OF course there would be
Interest TO pay on the bonds but 10 tho
use OF the roads Is not worth more TO
the community than the interest 1a the
bonds IL would not pay TO build tho
roads. Money can be borrowed a, four
or Eve per cent. and those In posi-.
ton Co form good Judgment will say
that first class roads will pay Tor them.
selves every 1--WE years. or Ia other
words. that their use IN worth 20 per
cent OF the cost each year
One sometimes hears a farmer. who
Is opposed 10 the building OF hard
roads. say that he can raise no more
I grain or get a larger return from tho
I farm by reason OF having good roads.
+ Such a one will attempt 10 sustain his
| position by stating only part Of the
whole proposition or course u is true
2 that the road has no influence upon
+ the productivity OF the farm along which
I ~ passes but n does not follow that
: the net results are the same. whether
. the roads are good or bad
Only few days ago the writer was
/ down In the corn belt Of Illinois and
saw four horses hauling a load OF corn
into town. II was all the horses could
/ do 10 handle the load. although the
/ country was comparatively level The
I mud In the road was nearly foot
/ deep No fair minded man win say
that crop can be marketed under
such conditions as cheaply as when the
roads are good. and a single team can
handle the same at twice the speed
The value OF the farm does not do
pend alone upon what the soil will pro
[ duce, but upon its accessibility tc
market. the environment and whether
the farm Is In every way desirable AZ
place TO live. We spend money foI
pleasure and for comfort. and Il 10
right that Ne should do so Probably
as rule too little IL spent foi
this. Whenever good roads have been
built. in any community there has
been a sharp advance IN the price OF
land. because the farms are more 40
csJsible. The writer has in MIND
co..nty in northern Indiana. wher,
ABOUT ten years ago a system OF q
allies OF hard roads were built cover
ng the main highways OF the town
hip. About $4,000 were spent upon
the Improvements. the payment spread
over ten years. Within a year after
the roads were built the farmers were
asking and getting SIS TO, s25 an acre
more for their farms than they could
have gotten before The roads we're
built Ia some cases the advance was
even more. The increase In taxation
vas hardly felt
one ~ the prominent residents Of
The township, In commenting upon tho
Improvement. said that the building Of
the roads eNerted a powerful influence
upon the lives of the people OF tho
ownship-eyerybod began 20 slick
up, new picket fence replaced the old
tumble down board fence. the house
was painted. walks laid out. and an air
OF thrift was apparent everywhere.
Also following the good roads, a town
ship high school was built, and ar.
rsngemtnts made to carry the children
to and from school. This was q great
relief TO the isolation the young
people were placed under bsfors the
roads were built The new sshooi be-
came the social center and they feuad
Ia that township that the building OF .
system Of roads was the best INJECT
ment they had ever made. asd under
no circumstances could they be In
duced to 20 back to the old way. 10
Is the same story everywhere; In every
locality where any community ever be-
gan to build good highways. and had
the experience Of building. using and
paying for them. the community was
not only satisfied but kept on build-
ing more and more roads.
In tho last analysis Il win be found
that the building Of highways adds to
the value of the farm served BY then
several times the cost and this In