Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-08-13

tupfofeu, WINE l1eTe. are IDfIy-DF0
agricultural ccunties that have more
than 10 per cent improved The aver
age price Of farm lands ID the sixteen
counties. according to the report Of the
United States census. was $3.50 Der
acre. while the average price Of land
In the forty-fve counties was $6lT9
per acre. In other words. the average
price Of farm lands in the good road
counties was $1T29. or 35 per cent
more than in the poor road counties.
When we consider the fact that there
are S73.oo0.OOo acres of farm lands in
the United States the possibilities
along this line are rather startling
Even assuming that the land would.
be increased only S. an acre the total
enhancement on farm lands alone
would be $4.365 o00. 600.
Improved roads will yield an addi-
tionaI income by enabling the farmer
to cultivate with profit land which
otherwise would be less probably en-
pioyed.
There are about. 100000. coo acres Of
unimproved farm land in the United
States. An average annual profit of
so cents an acre on this land would
mean net gain to the wealth Of the
United States Of 500. 100000 a year.
Truck products and small fruits must
be delivered quickly to market II any
profit is to be realized Truck and
small fruit farms cannot be maintained
with profit If long haul over bad
roads intervenes between them and
the railroad station. A network Of
first class hard smooth roads will al
most immediately Increase the number
Of truck, fruit and dairy farms in any
community. While the average value
of wheat per acre is only $7.o3 and
corn 1872, the average value Of vege-
tables per acre is. about $40 and Of
small fruits $50.
There Is steady. trend Of popula-
tion from hecountry to the city, and
this may be attributed to some extent
to bad roads. During the ten year pc
Rod 1890 1900 the cities gained 2,174,-
600 more people than the country. In
1860 only 1871 per cent Of the popula-
ton lived in cities. in 1900 the city
population represented about 81 per
cent Of the total. and now it is proba-
bly, about IS per cent 49,. 49,
With hundreds ,of millions of acres
Of land uneultivated we have the spec
tacle OF hundreds of thousands Of hu-
man beings crowded into the cities,
while year after year the human tide
rolls restlessly in from the country to
furnish more consumers and decrease
the number of producers -, II.
:. To prove that a0relation exists be-
tween the question of population and
roads the following illustration may be
cited: So , :. go = - 4 r.: ~.
In twenty-five counties selected from
eastern. southern. western and north.
western states Il has been found that
only ~ per cent cof roads were im-
proved in 1891 These same counties
show an actual decfease in population
averaging 3.112 feFeach county for the
ten year period 1900 1900. twenty-five
other counties LOCATED I'm the same
states. containing no per cent Of i'm
proved roads show an actual increase:
IN population for each county of 81 .O95
Whether good roads cause good
schools. or vice versa. it Is true that
they exist together and that one Of the
most important reasons for their i'm
provement is their effect on school at
tendance in the country If the coun-
try schools are to have maximum eff
ficiency in training and instruction the
children must be afforded facilities for
reaching them. With improved roads
the graded school and the consolidated
school VIII replace the little one room
one teacher schools so prevalent in
many sections of the country.
The possibilities Of region of i'm
proved roads are made apparent By