Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1913-01-30
COUNTRY Town AID
NOTHING OF GREATER IMPORT
ANCE THAN GOOD ROADS
LEADING TO 1T.
FARMERS and MERCHANTS TO HELP
Every Cent Saved in Cost of Trans.
portation Is That Much Added to
Price the Farmer Gets
for Produce.

ing of greater Importance than good
roads.
Every farmer is vitality interested
in good roads and should give the
movement his active support in his
community. The farmers are the ones
who Suffer most from bad highways,
for the simple reason that the most
expensive transportation of farm prod
ucts is that from the farm to the rail.
road station. The haulage to the
nearest best market or shipping point
must be counted as part of the cost
of production; it comes out of the
price received by the farmer for his
produce. Better roads will save hun
dreds of millions of dollars annually
to the farmers Of the United States.
Good roads facilitate and increase
communication between the country
and the town and therefore stimulate
business and increase the trading ra-
dius of any town or city which has
good roads leading into it from the
country. Every merchant should be
loyal supporter of the good roads
movement, which means a more pros
porous country community and that
the home town will get more of the
trade.
By diminishing the expense of car
riage and facilitating highway travel,
good roads put the remoter parts OF
the country more nearly upon a level
with those in the close neighborhood
of the town or city; they give the
country dweller every advantage OF
the city, while retaining the greater
room and healthfulness of country
life.
The sooner we realize that bad
roads are in reality more costly than
good roads, the better. Good, hard
roads are the only sure foundation
upon which cheaper transportation
and greater country prosperity can
stand. And it should not be forgot
ten that the proper maintenance of
roads is as important as their con-
struction. If properly built, their
maintenance will cost much less than
the necessity of periodical reconstruc-
ton where they are neglected.
Cost Of Bad Roads.
There are 2,151,57O miles of public
roads in the United States. OF this
mileage, statistics for 1904 showed
that about per cent are improved.
During the crop year 19O5-6, about
5,00O.O0O,0OO pounds of farm products
were hauled over common roads from
farms to shipping points. These fig
ures do not include forest or mine
products or general merchandise that
goes from city to country. 1t is evil
dent that the slightest saving in cost
of hauling per ton would assume
striking proportions when considered
for the entire country, says Better
Roads,"
Figures show that these great crops
travelled in wagons over country
roads 20s,432,644 miles, merely in be-
ing transported from the farms to
shipping points. Investigations have
shown that the average cost Of haul
ing per ton per mile is 90 cents. On
stone roads in good condition the cost
is about 8 cents; on stone roads in
ordinary condition, IL cents; on earth
roads containing ruts and mud, 80
cents; on sandy roads when wet, 33
cents; on sandy roads when dry. "a
cents. A reduction in the average
cost of hauling from % cents to IL
cents would mean an annual average
saving of over $25O,OOO,OOO. This
loss comes direct from the pockets OF
the farmers. The railroads take the
wheat, corn and other farm products
at the station and the producer gets
the value Cor market price) of the
shipment. If the farmers Of the ma
ton are paying $1,OoO.OOO day more
than they should in the cost of get
ting their produce to the shipping
point, it requires no expert to show
that If they had good roads they
would be receiving $1,ooO,OoO day
more for their products than they are
now getting.
Every cent saved in the cost of
transportation is a cent added to the
price the farmer receives for his
products. The addition of $25O,OOO,-
900 year to the income of the
American farmers would mean q
great strengthening of the purchas-
ing power Of the agricultural classes
and marked increase in agricultural
assets. In addition to this direct gain
the good roads add a value to every