The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-04-17
COST OF BAD ROADS
An ALARMING WASTE
People of the United States Are
Losing Approximately $780,
900, 900 Annually


Losing Approximately $780,
900, 900 Annually
1t is estimated that there are with
in the United States approximately
100000 miles of public highways.
No less an authority than the United
States department of Agriculture sup
plies the estimate that annually over
these roads 100000 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 station, is 10
miles. 1t is also vouched for that the
cost per ton mile for transporting this
vast annual agricultural product is APP
proximately 23 cents. To arrive near
err to the actual cost. 1t should be
understood that in some states where
road conditions are more favorable
than 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 80 cents per ton mile.
With the cost at the estimated av-
erage, the expense of transporting
American farm products to market
over the highways reaches the enor-
nous sum of $3.50, 100000 annually.
This in no manner includes transpor-
tation by rail or water but Just the
cost to the people of public road trans
portation. Best informed students in
I h. Of tra,,c tintl contend
and with everything 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 high
ways up to the standard of the pub
lie road systems of Great Britain or of
France, where the cost of road trans
portation, owing to the most excel
lent roads, is as low as eight and
nine cents per ton mile.
Every Citizen Interested
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 The high cost of
road transportation adds to the cost
of living to a degree little considered
by the average citizen 1t requires
about two-thirds of a ton of food for
the average person during the year.
Thus We find that for every one OF
the nations population the cost of
road transportation for the food sup
ply alone is approximately $1.7S per
In
excess of $10O,700,O00. This is eX-
pense, for two-thirds of which there
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 for bad
roads is one of the most important
questions that should interest our ma
tional and state law makers. The
poor roads cause an unnecessary tax,
nothing is received in return. There
is not a commodity that is required by
the people, but bears portion of this
unnecessary tax. There is the haul
age of agricultural implements, lum-
Der, coal, furniture, etc. from the
railroad stations to the farms; there
is the haulage of the cotton and the
wool from which clothing is made,
from the farms to the sta tions, so It
can be 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
Il. u.
people of Nebraska during the past
year will be referred to. During 1911
the value of farm products in Ne
braska was $334.7SS66s This does
not include $203, worth of live
stock (Which must be transported as
we'll as other farm products). OF
wheat there was produced Sligo, 247
tons; of corn 3,3S5,007 tons; of oats
500, 500 tons; of rye and barley 49,
sos tons; millet and hungarian 154,-
291 tons; of butter, 23,991 tons; OF
potatoes 1,110.000 tons, and of mis-
cellaneous other produce 1000. 0OC
tons, making a total of approximate
100000 tons, Thus We find that
the cost to the farmers of the state
of Nebraska for hauling to market
or the railroad station an average
distance Of 10 miles at 23 cents per
ton mile, is 100000 900, not taking
note of the expense of the transporta-
ton of livestock over the roads II
anything, these estimates are too lib
eral If it were possible TO find out
the exact figures they would be muct
higher. What holds good of Nebras.
ka in this regard, applies to Other
states of the west, only in some OF
the newer states the expense is from
p to 40 per cent higher, owing to III,
poorer character Of the roads. This j.
| IA wheel tax" and one that has Sc.
rious effects other than the actual ex
peuse in itself There is the diff
Guilty in the children attending schuo
when the roads are in impasSabl,
condition; the annoyance to the farm
er In the loss of time which could b,
employed in producing more wealth
in the social intercourse of the PEG
pie. etc.
IInglasd's Cost Is Less
In England. where the roads are
\ ~T&