The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-09

in Organizing new fields. Under last years management there were furnish ed to the National Grange 9,075 copies and the whole cost of runr6ng the paper to the National Grange, was SSO-OS Such record surely merits your continued support.
 JUVENILE ORANGES.
 Thanks to the efficiency of the Dep i necticut has an enviable reputation among the membership of the National Grange Several times Connecticut was referred to as one of the few tie folk.
 TAXATION.
 Patrons. year after year we have en- deavored to emphasize the thought and impress upon you that if as a. State Grange you really desire to do ~sonae- thing worth while" here. is your oppor- tunity. We have succeeded in having you raise d special committee who gave the subject considerable thought and study. The report was made and you were good enough to continue the committee It has seemed best that their further report be made at our legislature would be near to conven- ing Then any action you might take wGdld mean immediate. work The question of taxation Is a broad one and means more to the farmer than any other. No one win attempt to deny that our capital Is invested in things visible; that our farms, herds and other improvements are open to inspection and cannot be concealed No one can honestly deny that real estate is not paying at least 50 per cent. more taxation than corporate property. TEEs statement is worthy your investigation and when found absolutely correct you should be willing to work to remedy the situation. The Grange stands for equity. Is our present method of tax ation such? Whether or not all the property of our State is paying its just share of the needed revenue is a prac4 ticaa questf on and one which it is not only the right but the duty of every citizen to take such interest and ac- ! tion as the facts warrant. Do not hes itate to take. up this question: because 1t is broad. It Is to our interest. It is our business. Other State Oranges are strenuously studying the problem, do not let us be the last one to show our colors.
 GOOD ROADS.
 There are two things that in busi- ness way stand out with a prominence ation and Good Roads. The majority of our farmers do not object to pay ing taxes that we may have good roads. Most of us realize that poor roads mean not an indirect but a di- rect loss to our finances. The Nation al Department of Agriculture reports that it costs 23 cents per ton per mile to haul farm produce from the farm to the railway or market. Thfs over poor roads. The average haul is nine miles, thus the cost would be $21O while it would cost only 72 cents over good roads, a loss of $13S on each ton hauled. There were 25o, ,OOO, ,oO0 tons hauled last year, which meant a loss , to the farmers in time and in wear and tear on their teams of $377, 800, 900. ! In five years this would amount to enough to moe than pay for the bui-d d. ing of the Panama Canal. Is it not true that poor roads are largely res fE.Hs the country and living in our congest- ed centers. The sentiment in Con- necticut is for good roads. Liberal appropriations were made to our high way department at the last session of our legislature. Our commissioner fs using his best endeavor to see that the money is expended in a way that will do the most good. Stretches of road continuous mileage is what the farm CTS as well as the automobilists desire continuation of our present policy will ensure this.
 We are apt to compare our condi- tions with those as they exist in oder countries. France has. been at the good roads proposition since the days oi Napoleon, while we have only just be- gun the work. It is said that if al rstlroads were to disappear from France tomorrow. that travel fol in no sense be impeded. Keep nov ing, the time may come when this may be said of Connecticut We do not object to the building of roads suitable to the right kind of use by the auto mobiles. but we do most strenuously protest against their rlSnation by those "devilish'' drivers who have nc respect for themselves, the rights od others ora the preservation of tho States property. The building of ou1 roads is but a smal part of the con- tinuaI upkeep of these same roads augmented more than 50 per cent. by the inconsiderate use of them by the don't eare autoInobilist Does thr. mean that the use of the automobile must be prohibited? Most certainly not. The farmer, the business mar and the pleasure seeker without a. ma