The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1911-06-30
GOOD ROADS FROM AN ECONOMIC
STANDPOINT

GOOD ROADS FROM AN ECONOMlC
STANDPOINT
BY Representative P. G.. JOHNSTON
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentle
mem
have been assigned place upon
the program to deal with the subject,
Good Roads from an Economic
Standpoint This is the closing day
of your convention and, after an eX-
animation of the program as announc-
ed, | find that the subject will have
been pretty thoroughly exhausted un-
der one topic or another and in pre-
pairing this paper | shall no doubt
repeat some of the subject matter al
ready placed before this convention.
/ find, too, that, having had the honor
of addressing the Tri-State Good
Roads convention by appointment of
former Goveror James H. Brady, chat
it is difficult to prepare paper upon
the same subject without repeating
some of the same ideas then advanc-
ed. However, l am deeply interested
in this subject and It is pleasure
to me to discuss it.
Meaning of Terms
In order to get a good understand
ing of the term ECONOMY as applied
to good roads, it will be necessary to
define it. In its ordinary acceptation
it means to expend money to the
very best advantage. Thee is still
a further consideration which is the
economy of time through the ADVENT
age of good roads and the consequent
possibility of speedy locomotion. The
real value to the country or to the
individual also lies, not so much in
the fact that the time has been saved,
but in the fact that it has been prop
erly and profitably spent. From the
first definition We get the idea which
is best expressed by the American
saying, "Time is money" while from
the latter definition we get In the
true sense of the term the idea that
time is life itself and the manner in
which it is spent is the making or the
undoing of the man or the nation.
Speaking from the cold-blooded bust
ness standpoint, / desire to submit
some figures and calculations made in
Golfers Weekly which appeared in
the Idaho Register of recent date:
eff you want to know what bad
roads cost the country as whole,
keep in mind that American farmers
are paying 23 cents per ton for haul
ing when European farmers are pay
ing from to 9 cents. Now the Inter-
state Commerce commission reports
show that the railroads yearly haul
265,0OO,0OO tons of farm produce,
and that the average haul from farm
to market from the whole country
is nine and a fraction miles. Put
the cost of hauling at a round 81
per ton for nine miles and you have
the cost of hauling farm products
at round half billion dollars year.
Half that cost is waste, solely owing
to bad roads, p
Look squarely at the fact!
Two hundred and fifty million dol
lars year wasted on bad roads,
which the farmer and consumer joint
ly pay!
The charge to haul wheat from
New York to Liverpool, 800 miles,
is 3.5 cents per .bushel The charge
to haul bushel of wheat from farm
to market ga miles is 5.11 cents!
The storage of wheat at water fronts,
9 cents per bushel year. Do good
roads concern you?
Total up the whole cost of bad
roads, the waste on haul, the storage
at water fronts, the extra price paid
for feed owing to scant markets in
spring, and you have an expense bill
of billion dollars year against bad
roads, or on basis of 10000, 900,
a tax of $12.50 year which every
man, woman and child pays for bad
reads.
The results of bad roads are yearly
tolls of $12.50 against every person
who eats farm products. That yearly
waste would build 100000 miles of
Al macadam roads every year; or
in ten years would turn every country
road into such a highway as .the
Romans famous Appian Way, basing
the cost at the highest average of
$4,000 mile. Though macadam
roads sometimes exceed that figure,
owing to special differences of swamp
4 a. -.