Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1911-12-09
BOND ISSUES NOR sETTEEs ROADS

The practice or issuing Do ndS by
counties and stat YES to provide at once
large funds for u We in the bu lding III
permanent roads ~ coming lore and
more into favor am sng those- who have
made any serious .study Of effective
methods of highw.y imp rovement.
There are many sc, stions In which
the details of the bon ding fplan is not
understood and where its advantages
over the slipshod. piec emei Il. hand to
mouth methods at pr, ssept In vogue
are not rightly appreci sted. To make
the chief points Of TIE new plan
clear we give herewith BEne details OF
the issue OF bonds VIII 3eh have just
been voted on in Jacks on county, in
southern Oregon. roughly the territory
comprised by the celel NQted Rogue
river valley. For gener s;tiop past the
usual slovenly and vast sfpl methods
OF carrying on road wor have been
followed. This expenditr ne has in
creased until in 1910 1t " has $500, TAP.
on an assessed property 'aluation Of
100000 Under this sys tenn at the
present rate of building but three
miles of permanent macadai nized roads
could be built annually. t be bulk of
the money raised each year being usee
In the continual repair of dirt roads,
which during the rainy SCI tson from
| November to March are b,syond the
power OF words to describe. The plan
jnst voted on authorizes the issuance
at once OF 81 100000 In bonds all of
which Is available immediately in the
building of permanent good roads. On
the basis of macada mixed roads already
completed this means that Instead of
sixty miles of macadamized roads at
the end Of twenty years. the county
will have between 300 and $50 miles.
and that just as soon AS men and
| teams can build them. So much as to
the mileage of good roads available
under the old and the new plans.
These good roads bonds run for
twenty years and bear A per cent in
terest, payable semiannually. To pay
these bonds when due 1t will be only
necessary to raise 100000 annually
for twenty years This will constitute
a sinking fund, and out of it the in
terest on the bonds will be met an
nually. The balance loaned out ON
Der cent farm mortgages and interest
compounded will amount at the time
when the bonds are due to the million
and a half required to pay the face
of the bonds A slight additional levy
will be made to cover cost of upkeep
of the present, but this will be but
fraction of the amount spent each
year In the futile effort to keep dirt
| 10 AH
gives permanent roads. gives all that
are needed and the great advantage
of the use of them at once, while it Is
r fair to assume that the rise in the val
ne of property adjacent to such high
ways would represent a value far ex
? ceeding the total issue of bonds re-
! Quired TO build them. Many sections
, have the a''good roads" problem on
their hands more than others. but
where any serious thought is given to
the building of permanent roads the
bond issue method is far and away
the most sensible and economical plan
, possible. 1t has already been adopted
by New York and Texas as a settled
: road policy, the counties and town
ships cooperating with the state in
the good road work.
; SOME POSSIBILITIES OF ALFALFA.
: The other day the writer ran across
: the report OF the returns which a
farmer living In Fremont, the south
west county OF Iowa, had realized this
season from a fourteen and a half
] acre patch of alfalfa. The conditions
q to be found IN the county referred to
are such as prevail in Missouri and
in eastern Kansas and Nebraska.
which we mention to show that soil
and climatic conditions were not
/. unique or exceptional The man in
- question. Mr.. Thiessen, got two cut
tings Of q ton and a half each per acre.
The third growth OF the legume he al
Y lowed TO go to seed and from this Sc
cured yield Of six bushels per acre.
Figuring his alfalfa hay worth $40 per
ton and three-quarters of a ton of al
falfa straw worth 81 and the alfalfa
seed worth S11 per bushel. the present
. price, the gross return from this land
@ is seen to be SOB per acre. or 81, 493. so.
There is little question that these fig
upes can be beaten by scores of farm
ers living farther west and south, yet
they are quoted to show the possibili-
ties Of this wonderful legume when it
Y is given fair tryout 1t would be an
Interesting question to decide the value
Of land that will give a gross return
Of s103 per acre In view Of such re-
: turns 1t is no wonder land prices are
= mounting up toward the $3.50 mark