The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1912-07-26
GOOD ROADS AND HOW
THEY EFFECT ANNUAL
INCOME OF FARMERS
STATISTICS AS TO THE COST OF
MARKETING TENNESSEE
FARM PRODUCTS.
Bad ROADS TOUCH SCHOOLS
Two Hundred Thousand School Chill
dren In the State Who Cannot
Read or Write Who Live In the
interior or the Good Roads.
(By Charles G. Gilbert.)

(By Charles G. Gilbert.)
Four million dollars paid annual
ly by the farmers of Tennessee for
the use of mud roads are the figures
given out by the United States Gov
eminent. The Mud Tax" which
the farmers OF Tennessee are pay
ing is more than all their other
taxes combined They are paying
it, however, paying it regularly and
without any returns.
During last year the values In
Tennessee on Corn, Wheat, Oats, Po-
tatoes, Hay, Tobacco and Cotton,
we're $1O3,000,O00. By actual statis-
tics it cost the farmers $S,000,000 to
haul these various crops to market.
Had the state of Tennessee a bet
ter system of highways, this cost
would have been reduced fifty per
cent and the saving to the farmers
would have been $4,00O,00O, or
enough money to have built 1900
miles of frst-class macadamiasd
highways. At this rate it would
only take few years to cover the
entire state of Tennessee with first
class roads with the money which
is now going annually into this un-
necessary Mud Tax
But the four millions is not all by
any means which the farmer loses
by having bad roads. The actual
cost of hauling Is enormous, but
there comes the profit he loses by
having to market the yield of his
farm while the roads are in ccndi-
ton to even haul half load.
These conditions are prevailing all
over Tennessee. 1t is true many
counties are building some splendid
roads. yet even in the most advanc-
ed counties are sections and corn
ers which have not been touched.
Not only does the building Of bet
ter roads increase the farmers pro-
Ill by means of the enormous saw
ing in transportation, but his farm
enhances in valIe as well.
Tennessee paying 100000 an
nually for wagon freight is out of all
reason and should not be tolerated.
This is a tremendous tax upon our
resources and the sooner the farmer
can realize that he Is paying this
money without any semblance Of
returns. the sooner win there crys-
talize a sentiment favorable to good
roads all over the State of Tonnes
see. If there was any return for
this expenditure there might be
some excuse for its continuance, but
Just think how difacult 1t is to haul
a load over some Of these roads In
Tennessee and figure what is it
costing for the use of them.
Money which Is spent on road
building or road maintenance Is an
investment and will yield the great
est dividends of any money which
can be spent in Tennessee.
There are not ali, but the schools
Of Tennessee are neglected in Sec
tions where bad road conditions
prevail Where you find poor roads
you find poorly arranged school
houses, you find large percentage
Of children who cannot read or
write. 1t is not their fault, 1t Is be-
cause they have no schools, Or II
they do have many of them are in
name only. Two hundred thousand
children in Tennessee of scholastic
age can neither read or write. A
very few of these can be found liv-
ing on first class pixies. They are
back in the interior where the larger
portion of the Mud Tax" is being
paid.
This is question to which the
farmers of Tennessee should give
their most careful attention, and as
they progress from an agricultural
standpoint, and they are at a re-
1uarkable rate, they should also pro-
gress from road building stand
point and let it be said of Tennes-
see that she has more roads and
better roads than any State in the
Union. II this could be said, then
the lands which are NV lying waste
will be put into cultivation. The va
cant fields and the hillsides will be
growing corn, cotton, tobacco, hay,
ETC., the people from the cities will
go back to the farms and Tennessee
will be proclaimed everywhere the
greatest Of them all.