Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1911-09-01
REASONING IN A CIRCLE.
Or Little Thought On the Question. Do
Good Wagon Roads Pay?

untutOred, but hard-headed farmer
puncture the labo"ed philosophy of /;
high-browed exponent of dOmesti,
economies who had just climaxed ar
address to gathering of farmer.
with the statement that the cauS,
of high prices and the high cost O
living are freight rates, and the cure
is reduction in rates"
L am only a plain farmer" con
tinued Hawkins, but |, too. hav,
given the cost of living some thought
not, however, in a rocking chair in ;
richly furnished study, but in a lum
Der wagon up to the hubs in mud
and while walking between the han
dies OF a plow. That is the college in
which | matriculated and learned
what ! know of economics.
Before this, |, too, had formed
some opinions from garnished soph
iStry which | found in books and
speeches by theorists and Office seek
ing politicians, but it was hauling
half load of hogs to market tht
other day over a road knee-deep ir
mud that made me realize there were
other things than freight rates in.
volved in the high cost of living.
had a case of eggs at my feet on one
side and tub of butter on the other
both bringing such good prices that
mother-bless her dear heart, She
looks better in calico than other wO
men in siks-cautioned me agains,
reckless driving.
A new idea came to me. 1t was
that by giving the consumer tn,
benefit Of the waste that attaches tC
existing methods and conditions. VT
could by this alone greatly reduce
the cost of living.
That set me to figuring. 1t tool
me a whole day with a team ant
wagon to haul ! 800 lbs. of hogs the
ten miles had to 60. At the rate
of $3.50 per day for team and driver
| easily ascertained that the wagor
haul, without allowing anything fol
repairs or keeping of myself ant
team, Was costing 46 cents a ton pei
mile. Great Heavens! that was ovel
sixty-One times more than the aver
age charge a ton per mile by the rail
roads, as shown by the reports o
the Interstate Commission, and ye1
everybody seeking to reduce the high
cost of living was bitterly inveigh-
ing against railroad rates and blindly
marching behind blind leaders to tha
end. When roads were not muddy
| hauled 2.50O lbs. to a load and ye1
that was % cents ton per mile, OF
over thirty-seven times more thar
the average charge by the railroads
The reports OF the Interstate Com
merce Commission showed that the
average cost by railroad was I OF one
cent a ton per mile.
In a pamphlet issued by the De
partment of Agriculture, l read thai
the farmers of several States, partic
ularly the farmers Of Pennsylvania
by the construction of good roads hat
doubled their wagon loads and there
by decreased the cost nf wagon trans
pOrtation 80 per cent. That meant
on poor roads saving of % cents ;
ton per mile, and on the dry roads
basis q saving OF IA cents a ton pc,
mile.
':When | realized that the enor
nous waste applied to all the greaI
farm crops of this great country
for every pound or ton of surplus
farm products must be moved by
wagon to the cars, or elevators at the
railway station-I was staggered
first at the enormous waste and sec
Ond at the stupidity at so-called eco
nOmic philosophy. 1t cost me $3. 81
to haul l 800 pounds, whereas with
good roads | could haul 5000 pound.
at the same cost, showing very clear
ly to ME that on that wagon haul
had a clean waste of Is per cent. Tht
average amount l would have to pay
the railroad for hauling the sam,
load the same distance. is less thar
6 cents. In other words for what i
cost me 81. 90. the railroads do it fol
less than 6 cents, and the average
amount the railroad charges me i.
actually less than 3 per cent. of TIT
amount that is wasted in wagon haul
got 81 cents a pound for my
hogs that day, % cents for the but
ter and % cents dozen for the eggs
When / computed the cost of Wagon
haul on my hogs and ascertainet
that it was 2 1-3 cents a pound
and when just before going home
stopped at the meat market and pait
the butcher 81 cents for two pound.
of the pork, which but a few hour.
before had sold him for l6 % cents
l easily concluded that the primary
cause in respect to the high cost O
living was clearly one of great vast,
and large profits.
There may be other elements O.