Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1911-08-11
GOOD ROADS
What They Mean to Community

a buggy and drove out into the coun-
try, stopping now and then to talk
with the farmers on the way. Fin
ally he reached a point nine miles
out of town, drove into a farmyard
and began conversation with the
owner of the place.
Ben" he said, why don't you do
your trading at B"
Well" replied the farmer frankly,
I'D rather go to A. | know that
it is five miles farther, but then, the
roads are SO much better that | don't
mind the difference"
1t didn't take this enterprising
citizen long to discover what was
wrong with his home town. He quick
4 ly made his discoveries public. Three
weeks later good roads club was or
gained That was a few years ago.
Now all of the farmers trade at b,
because the roads to that place are
better. A good roads club can make
]
side of ledger in any community.
Profit Producers
/ If something is wrong with the
popularity of a community it is just
as natural to look for the trouble
on the roads leading to town as it
is to glance first at the spark-plug of
balky automobile. The community
that desires prosperity and home
trade, must see to it that all of the
possible avenues for outside patron
age are open and in first class work
ing condition. Every good road lead
ing into town means just that many
more dollars profit to every merchant
in that town. This is a statement
without question. The community
that desires to develop into something
more than an obscure hamlet must
look to the condi ton of its roads. The
roads that led to Rome made that
city famous and brough it prosperity
The same scheme of business build
ing holds good today, even though
centuries have passed since the great
Appian way was dotted with people
pouring into the capital city of
Italy.
Nearly every European country is
far ahead of the United States in the
matter Of road building. 1t is a mat
ter of personal interest to every man
in this country to see that the little
stretch of road before his home or
his farm is in good condition OF
course, there are abuses of good roads
but they cannot outweigh the BEN
efits derived from good roads.
In a certain locality in Iowa there
were banded together several farm
ers and certain townspeople who took
great pride in maintaining an excel
! lent road for their own use. Automo-
bile drivers never failed to avail
themselves of an opportunity to
break the speed laws when passing
over this portion of the roadway and
finally the farmers became so dis
gusted that they gave up their eff
forts to keep the road in condition.
One year passed and the time for
marketing crops came. Horses wal
lowed through the mire in the roads
up to their bellies. Wagons were
stalled and loads were ruined while
| transferring them from one rig to
another. The next year the farmers
continued their road up-keep The
disgust they had felt toward the raw
| ages of the automobiles on their
good roads was by no means equal to
the disgust, as well as the financial
loss they suffered, when those good
roads were neglected.
Good Roads Gospel
How can the community develop
| its local resources and revive its dy-
ing business interests without huge
individual cost?
There are many ways that this
problem can be worked out At the
present time the railroads have
come to see what a tremendous bear
ing good roads have upon the general
prosperity of the country, and they
have inaugrated what are known as
gospel trains"
BY far the most important of these
Is the Good Roads Special" a train
of private cars that visit the stations
along the various railroad lines and
carry the gospel of good road build
ing. Expert road builders accompany
this train and free lectures are given
10 the townspeople and the farmers
at each stop, Practical illustrations OF
how road building may be done mex.
pensively are features of each pro.
gram, and the lectures are all to the
. point.
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