The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-03-15
Points Out the Benefits TO Be
Derived From Plan.
HOW He ILLUSTRATES POINT
Hauling Gravel; Trouble Exper.
fenced By Pathinaster Near
Madison Lake.
From Saturdays Daily.

To The Free Press: My attention
has just been called to an article
in The Free Press on the changing
of our present road system. 1t is
evident the farmer who wrote the
article is not familiar with the act
ual facts. Under the present law
the farmer must build practically
all our rural highways, although
there is no reason why he should
people, the railroads and all other
interests, because without the rural
roads no business could exist and
every one in the state is virtually
interested and should help build
them just as he helps support
schools and other public benefits.
How Cost Should Be Apportioned.
According to statistics $664,930,374
was the valuation of all farms upon
!. which last years assessment was
1 made, while the valuation of city,
village and mineral property was
$1,445,067,794 and this does not In
| clude the railroad tax as the rail-
roads pay on their gross earnings
and paid last year $3,767,O76.25 of
our taxes, or practically one-tenth
of our whole tax. .,-.
Now, in brief, it can be stated
that approximately the farmer
should pay on every $110, worth Of
road work, $40; the cities and VII
lage $50; the railroads, $40. There
fore, VIC should have size to put
into roads where we now have $40
without costing the. farmer one
cent. more. :...( !. -. j.. ...:.s: 1.
-. one-Mti Tax. e. -.-t
All that tho town, mineral aud
railroad properties pay into our
bridge and, road fund is fouss
tenths of one mill. II we increase
this to one-mill and do away with
the old system VIC would have over
one hundred dollars to improve
roads with where we now have but
| $40, and if not more than. double
the money was used for road pur-
poses that is now used : it would
cost the farmer less than it costs
him now.
One other point that: this farmer
! touches that the farmers being
on the ground with his plow, etc,
can and would do it more econom-
ically, etc"
..ss..:s Cites An Instance.
Every observer of the actual
facts that have taken the pains to
keep the records knows the reverse
of this argument is true, and |
will give one out of hundreds that
l could name East of Madison
Lake a ."pathmaster". tried last
summer to get his farmers to haul
! gravel upon certain piece OF
road two and one-half miles from
the gravel pit Two farmers with
their wagon boxes and tools that
I they had, tried it for two days,
putting upon the road in the two
days two loads each of gravel not to
exceed one yard to the load and
because the "pathmaster" would not
credit them with So per load they
quit work. He offered them $3.50
a load and that offer stood open
all summer, but no one would ac'
cept it.. .
! An Organized System.
/ This winter we graveled that same
road with an organized system and
the proper tools, dump boards,
shovels, ETC., and we hired these
same farmers and nobody else, pay
ing 60 cents load for fully one
and one-half yards to the Nload,
thus getting the gravel hauled for
40 cents per yard under a cash
system or less than one-thirds the
price. The "pathmaster" had Of
fered $3.50 per load all summer and
not q man would accept 1t. There
was not man that did not make
So day and some nearly 81 haul
ing gravel during the winter. ANY
farmer who has given this matter
careful study from actual figures
will condemn the old system as
an injustice TO the farmer and he
will soon learn that the cash sys'
TEN will result in better roads at
4 a less cost.-G. W. Allyn.