The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1911-08-25

! V00AAAJ
communities are we'll served. and the
good roads problem has been solved
A man may have . farm q mile from 4
good road. but II 1t IL six miles to
town. he can manage to get over this
irst mile. which will be . little used
road. to the main highway. and II from
there he can have q first class road TO
town. making up nve-sixthc Of the dis.
lance. he will be well taken care OF
The fact that he has five miles Of good
road and one mile Of poor will spur
him and his neighbors to put In the
best possible condition this road of
secondary importance. It has always
been found thai those opposing the
building Of good roads overcOtimate
both the cost Of the roads and the
amount OF mileage necessary, and it is
| apparently done with the studied pur-
pose OF trying to convince people that
1t is impossible to build good roads ON
account Of the expense involved.
1t has been demonstrated time with
| out number that well built roads upon
the main highways will pay for them
selves every i've or six years. treated
from m, economic standpoint alone, to
say nothing Of the educational and So
cial advantages. and tho pleasure and
satisfaction OF using . good road in.
stead OF a poor one.
The good road boomers should keeu
in mind some certain things that are
fundamental
First, that under our system of gov
eminent no large amount of good
roads can be built unless the farmers
are ready to move In the matter, hence
the farmer and not the automobile
manufacturer or user must be first
considered.
Next, that the question Of road ne
cessity has the economic. social and
educational welfare involved in 1t.
Next. that good roads the country
over need not cost 5000 to $4,000 .
mile. but through the central west
they can easily be built at costs
ranging from $1,000 to $1,000 a mile
depending upon local conditions. This
price may be sometimes reduced BY
the use Of convict labor In the prepa
ration of material
The farmer should remember thai
the building OF good roads adds to the
cash value of his farm more thar
twice as much and sometimes Ave
times as much as the tax he will be
called upon to pay to help build them
He should also remember that IL tn.
roads were uniformly good it would
be much easier to get help upon the
farm. The farm laborer could provide
himself with a bicycle, which can bs
had very small cost, and upon rainy
days or Sunday he could ge out and
see his friends instead Of being ma
rooned by impossible roads,
The farmer should also remember
that over good roads can be hauled
two or three times as much produce
as over bad roads. Taking average
road conditions the year round IT is
safe to say that If one were hauling
over them every day in the year with
the same expenditure OF power. al
least one-third more could be deliv.
cred and possibly twice as much over
good roads as over the unimproyed
highways that are often in good con.
dillon. but very often bad and some
times impossible.
In a magazine article tho writer
noted the following:
"A prominent southern farmer paid
$500 for pair OF mules. He refused
to pay $500 for pair OF smaller
mules because the larger ones could
pull $50 pounds more because of their
increased size. He refused to vote
bond issue for good roads thst
would have enabled the smaller mule,
to pull 1000 pounds more"
Thus In practice we often save at
the spigot and waste at the bung. The
need OF the hour is to take up tho
good roads question in big, broad
way with a liberal spirit. and realize
that the roads are a permanent asset
10 the nation, the state and the town
ship, and that II they are well built
and properly cared for, they will last
Tor many years. and the expense of
building the roads ought to be spread
over 20 or 80 years. so as to let those
who come after us and share in tho
benefits. help pay part OF the eN
pense of building them.
Valuable information upon highwa.
and good roads general,
an be had by applying to the Office OF
public roads, Washington, or to the
Highway engineer of the respective |
.tates.
Let the god roads advocates agree |
upon some sensible line OF procedure |
and cut out all the fads and impossi. !
oilities and bring the proposition down |
where it belongs. and consider II In |
he light OF local conditions. and ad-
socate such loads as will give the
largest return for the money invested.
" Seems PuxxIlng
RnraTfIy in Dfttc h,,r.x