The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-02-22
GOOD HIGHWAYS
ADD TO WEALTH
OF THE NATION, AS WELL AS TO
ITS HAPPINESS AND WELL
BEING
GOOD PROSPECTS OF FEDERAL AID
For the Cause Of Good Roads In
This Country-Some Good Argu-
ments for Better Highways

The following interesting and time
ly article on the value of good roads
to a community appears in the last
issue of the Omaha Motorist:
1t is estimated that there are with
in the United States approximately
1000, 900 miles Of public highways. No
less an authority than the United
plies the estimate that annually over
these roads 200, 000, 900 tons of farm
produce are hauled to market each
year. The same authority supplies
the statement that the average haul
Of farm produce from the farm to the
markets, or the railroad stations, is
ten miles. 1t is also vouched for that
the cost per ton for transporting this
vast annual agricultural product, is
approximately 90 cents. To arrive
nearer to the actual cost, it should
be understood that in some states
where road conditions are more
favorable han in others. the average
cost is about II cents, while in some
other parts of the country where the
roads are in poor condition the cost
is as high as 35 cents Per ton mile.
With the cost at the estimated av-
erage. the expense of transporting
American farm products to market
owe the highways reaches the enor-
nous sum of $500, zoe, 900 annually.
This in no name includes transpor-
tation by rail or water, but jus. the
cost to the people Of public road
transportation, contend, and with ev-
cry thing to favor and prove their
contentious, that two-thirds of this
great expense could be avoided, and
can be done away with, by simply
bringing American highways up to
the standard of the public road sys-
tens of Great Britain or of France,
where the cost of road transportation,
owing to the most excellent roads, is
as low as 8 and Q cents per ton mile.
In the good roads question there are
involved economic principles that not
alone affect the farmers, who are the
producers OF the products that are
transported, but vitality interest every
citizen OF the land. This high cost
OF road transportation adds to the
cost of living to a degree little con-
sidered by the average citizen. 1t re-
quires about two-thirds OF a ton Of
food for the average person during
the year. Thus We find that every
n Of the nations population the
cost Of road transportation for the
food supply alone is approximately
$1.78 per year, or for the nation, an
amount in excess of 800, zoo, 900. This
is expense, for two-thirds of which
here is no compensatory balance. 1t
is wealth that is unnecessarily wasted.
1t all could be eliminated by putting
into effect a system of national and
state road betterment.
The substitution OF good Coz bad
roads is one Of the most important
questions that should interest our
national and state law makers. The
poor roads cause an unnecessary tax
upon all the people, and for this tax
nothing is received in return. There
is not a commodity that Is required
by the people, but bears a portion
OF this unnecessary tax. There Is
the haulage of agricultural nipple
ments, lumber, coal, furniture, etc,
from the railroad station to the farms,
the wool from which clothing is made,
there is the haulage Of the cotton and
from the farms 10 the station, so it.
can De seen that the tax is not con.
fined merely to the matter OF food
stuffs, but to everything that the peo-
pie require for their subsistence.
To bring the question closer to the
people Of the west, the expense to
the people Of Nebraska during the
past year will be referred to. Dur
ing 1911, the value Of farm products
in Nebraska was $334,7SS.66S This
does not include $203, O13,3 1856 worth
Of live stock (Which must be trans
ported as we'll as other farm pro-
ducts.) or wheat there was pro-
duced 1,165,247 tons; OF corn 1885,
007 tons; of oats, 800, 500 tons; o.
rye and barley. 46,50S tols; miilet
and hungarian. 154.291 tons; Of but
ter, 1891 tons; of pata,oes. lilo 900