The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-05-10

tomobile owners are only 4 few who
use the highways.
He spoke of the improvements on
the farm, and the methods of trans
portation, which showed that this
was progressive age, and then
compared the slow movement OF
good roads to the other advance
ments.
He advocated the passage OF the
onc-mill tax amendment and explain
ed this to the audience, showing
that if this bill passed, about ST.
200 900 would be voted to this good
roads fund, and every community in
the state would be getting some
benefit. ---.
Talk BY John Hohmann.
John A. Holman was then i'll
troduced and gave an address on
the same subject, but from little
different angle. In part he spoke
as follows:
Road building is today an en-
tircly different proposition from
what it was ten or twenty years
ago. A road that was considered
fairly good one at that time, nc
longer serves its purpose today. But
what is the cause of this change OIL
conditions? Why should we not be
content to travel on the same KIND
of roads that our fathers did? VIVA,
was good enough for them surely
ought to be good enough for us.
at is the automobile that is re
sponsible for this change OF cOndi
tons. It's general use on the cotln
| try highways has done more than
| anything else to compel better
/ type of roads than those that were
considered good roads five or ter
years ago. Farmers not only around
Mankato, but all over, are getting
away from the idea that money
spent for the development of the
roads was done merely for the bene
fit of automobile drivers. 1t is true
that to drive an automobile VIII
a. degree of safety and pleasure, {
good road is necessary and much
appreciated.
1--WE met with many obstacles ant
difficulties when we started out bVt
years ago to boost for good roads
Until then there was not a single
road leading out of Mankato tina
could be travelled with a degree o
safety or pleasure after one Of
two days rain. These roads were no
only impossible after such rain, bu
in many places, | dare say, ever
dangerous to travel
Since then we have succeeded
in improving two or three of thu
roads leading out of Mankato, ant
as an object lesson of what we have
done. we ask you to look at thu
road between Mankato and Madison
Lake.
Il do not wish to dwell too mucI
upon the automobile in connection
with the good roads movement, blu
II venture to say that in anothe
five years at least fifty per cent o
YOU farmers will be driving t.
! Elysan in automobiles and takin
your grain and your crops to marke
in motor truck, and the only thin
: that | can see that might kee
you from doing so will be that yo
have not the right kind of roa
to travel on.
Auto Here to Stay.
"The automobile is here to stay
: Although there are nearly million
automobiles and motor trucks in us
in this country today, still the prat
teal use Of the automobile is sti
in it's primary stage. And the grea
: err the use, especially among tn
? farmers, of both the automobile an
:. motor truck for agricultural pul
. poses, the greater and more persis
. emit will be the demand for tina
type of road that will serve the pul
: pose of automobile traffic at a
times of the year and in all kind