New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1912-02-24

to make no permanent improve
ment. A low spot that is Away
muddy in wet weather is repaired
by throwing some more dirt into
the mud hole. While if a ditcl
had been dug and the water that
had caused the mud drawn off
here would have been no mud
hole there in the future.
We have in the United States
about two million, two hundred
thousand miles Of country roads,
of which only about two hundred
thousand miles have been i'm !
proved in a permanent way. Ont
of every ten mi, les that our PEG.
pie have to travel. one mile is
good and nine miles are at leas.
not good. and in most cases posi-
lively bad.
President Finley, of the South
ern Railway, stated in an address
before the first American Road
Congress, Richmond, Va, held
Nov. 90, 1911, that there were
176,725 miles of country roads
I'm the counties traversed by his
railroad and 10000 miles of these
roads were unimproved.
Investigation has established
the fact that it costs our farmers
10 haul ton of produce or any
one mile an average OF
3 cents. This is the average Of
he following costs: On stone
Dad, dry and in good order, s
'ents; on stone roads in ord nary
IL cents; on earth
Dads containing ruts and mud,
% cents; on sandy roads when
vet, 80 cents; on sandy roads
vhen dry. Ga cents. If we could
o improve our roads throughout
he country as to reduce our
verage cost from 90 cents to IL
ents per ton, per mile, the saw ;
lg on the total tonnage hauled /,
'Ould amount to over two hun ,
red and fifty million dollars an
aually. A sum large enough to :
ay the interest on the cost Of
ntting a million miles Of road !.
permanently good condition. 6
ut this is by no means the only !.
IS that bad roads entail. While
the southern part of this state .
st month | was told by a plant '
that they had lost 10000 tons :, :
cane through their inability :, :
transport it over the impas- :
bly, bad roads to their mill. A = =,
IS in one season on one planta- .
IN that would have paid for .
any miles Of permanently good >,
ads. i
Our state is fortunate in hay
: as its executive a man thor-I
ghly in sympathy with the good
Ids movement. A magaz
blished in Ohio quotes him az ar
ring. my dearest wish for t.
uisiana is that the time will r,
'edly come when a good pub 1T,
road is within easy reach of IN
ny child in this commonwealth I'll
! when good public road Pr
IS in front of every farm from an
Arkansas line to the gulf. In W,
'Tcondition, l believe, will be or
nd a cure for every i'll that )
exist and a foundation upon ex
lch to build prosperity be- isb
ID precedent" Wagon roads rel
e been constructed on the wa
e plan that governed our rail- tht
building. Great distances re,
to be covered with the least q
'ible expense. At first mere bv
Is were made, then, as condi- Z
. demanded, more work was tie,
2, but there has always been ers
lllch demanding attention that ser.
as seemed impossible to do TO
Q than was absolutely neces. 27tI
il
NV our greatest railroads are nun
ding millions Of dollars in ISL
owing their roads,so that they cleo
use heavier equipment, haul FLAG
ter loads and thus reduce the req,
per ten mile. 1t is now time in :
3 to take nm our xvo nor