The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-07-27
ROAD NEGLECT
BY GOVERNMENT
Railway Man Shows Money Is
Wasted on Highways.
WILL save FARMERS MILLIONS

ventIoH OF OevotoPSuonS OI Nouutry
as Proof Tha. Highways Should es
Improved by National Appropriation.
One of the most interesting addresses
delivered before the National Good |
Roads association at Niagara Falls
recently was that Of B. F. Yoakum.
chairman of the st. Louis and San
Francisco Railroad company. The key,
note of his address was that the GOV
ernment wastes enough to build all |
highways and the saving to farmers
points of his speech were:
Your organization stands for Il duty
sadly neglected by the government.
Good roads mean more for the people
at large than any other public work
and add more to the comfort and up
building of the country. They are of
national Importance
Government statistics tell us that I:
costs our farmers Is cents more to
haul one ton one mile in this country
than it. costs in European countries
The feoducts Of the farms of the Unit
ed States last year amounted to ap-
proximately 25O.OO0,OOO tons. The gov
ernment shows the average haul of a
ton was nine miles. This difference of
Is cents ton per mile represents an
additional cost Of $1.35 ton for an
average haul of nine miles. Estimat-
ing that two-thirtls of the agricultural
products of last year were hauled
away from the farms. there would
have been II saving to the American
farmers of S225. .OOO.O0O If our roads
] had been up to the standard Of Euro
| pean roads. not including their hack
haul of supplies from the stations to
| the farms. They would also have
saved large sums in the cest Of replac-
ing and repairing harness. wagons.
ETC.. and in the investment and care Of
extra draft stock
ut took three-quarters Of century
10 build up the American railroads.
During the same time little attention
has been given to the building up Of
/ American country roads. Yet the val
ue of the two to the public goes hand
in hand. Food and clothing must be
handled between the producers and
the consumers over both the country
road and the railroad. 1t Is important
that the country roads approach the
| 1.s 4 ~,
"The greatest value of good roads
will be to the farmers who have not
as yet become Interested You have
not yet found way to reach them to
properly place your arguments and
statistics before them. They need to
be- shown that the poorest roads are
the most expensive roads. They have
not been shown that their broken wag-
Ons. broken harness and blacksmith
bills cost them more than the cost of
having good roads. They have not
been shown that four dollar day
team can do twice the work over good
roads. which makes that team worth
to them s. day. The way to get good
| roads is to make all the people know
: them and keep them constantly In
, mind. The transportation system
which carries our food and clothing
, from maker to user is part railroad
and part country road. One part is as
necessary as the other. Your organi
zation in its support of the bettermen'
of our public highways should talk n
millions instead of thousands.
1--WE have 100000 miles of public
roads. From the best information oh
tainable there are about 1900 miles
or two miles out Of each 100. under
high standard of improvement. Their
are not more than 10000 miles, O
eight miles out of each 100. under an.
kind of Improvement In other words
we have 1,925.O00 miles Of public road
which are in as poor condition now q
they were when they were laid out b.
our early settlers and pioneers.
IF we build 100000 miles of puhli
highways annually for ten years an
give to this country 100000 milea q
good public roads at an average cos
Of $1,000 mile. or 1900 100000 annua
". we will be engaging In natiOna
development the advantages of whic
in economies. commerce. comforts an
enhanced land values none can for
| tell. We will be accomplishing sOm'
thing worth while. This work of ca
ried on by counties and townships q
at present will be very slow. 1t shoul
: be encouraged under broad. c0mpr
hensive plan outlined By the feder'
M government. cooperating with II
= states. The agricultural departmel
!. Of the government is in sympathy wit
4, all things that tend to improve Os
m public road system.
!. '.Your association should have a
gressive organizations in every sta
:. and have working relations with a
- commercial manufacturing and ag1
= cultural institutions. While {,
~ speak but for one system Of railroad
:. feel confident that every railroad
!. the country will be in sympathy Al
! work in harmony to aid in the develo
:. = ment of the comntry's public highwa,
with view Of upbuilding and incres
Z. ing the production of existing cul
{. vatetl fields and adding new acres th
" are now lying idle for lack OF r
transportation Or good public roads
encourage their cultivation