The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1913-06-26
Good Road S
4 S an election will be held in Bossier
Y Parish within a few weeks to de-

~ Parish within few weeks to de-
termine whether bonds and special
taxes shall be voted for making and
maintaining good roads, few words to
the Banner readers at this time may not
be amiss.
1t does not seem that even a strong
minority will oppose the plan of build
ing better roads for the parish. Yet,
some who have not studied the question
thoroughly may overlook some of the
advantages to the people who use the
roads most = namely, those who live in
the country.
The question of roads, which is largely
question of transportation and of COM
munication, touches every social and
economic problem in the community.
The world is spending millions OF dol
lars every year to quicken the means OF
transportation. The vast sums spent for
automobiles, motor cars, improved loco
motives, flying machines, telegraph and
| telephone lines evidence the attempt to
annihilate time and space with respect
to travel and communication. While the
telegraph, the telephone and the aero
plane are somewhat independent Of
roads, yet most vehicles of commerce
still rest upon the earth or some special
form of road.
The wheels of progress are rarely
made to turn backward, even Temporal
rily. No community which has once en-
joyed the advantages of good roads is
willing to go back to the unsightly, IN
economic conditions of former times
The whole subject of good roads is SC
intimately connected with the. daily So
cial, educational, civic, esthetic and re-
ligious life of the people that no one car
possibly estimate all the advantages Of
better roads; but we can touch upor
some of these advantages briefly here.
The financial problem is the one which
appeals to most people first and mos
forcibly; and the great cost OF making
permanent hard roads stares the tax
payer in the face until sometimes h
overlooks the advantages in the way o
decrease in the cost OF handling and tn
wear and tear upon teams, wagons ant
other necessary equipment, and the i'm
mense saving Of time. We say chail
is only as strong as its weakest link
and, to a certain extent, road is onl
as good as it's worst part. 1t is true tn
, teamster can double teams on a stee
hill or through a mud hole, if he hap
. pens to have the double team available
e lust as he can splice the chain, if b
t knows where the weakest part is; or h
> can split up his load and make sever;
, trips up the hill or through the mud, t
the utter exhaustion of his team.
1t has been shown that on a goot
level dirt road strong horse can dra
1000 pounds, but on a hill with 10 pr
; cent grade he can draw only $50 pound
: On good, level macadam road stron
!. horse can draw 5000 pounds, but on a
. per cent grade he can draw only 81
pounds. 1t requires so much effort for
horse to pull himself up that he can pu
only about a third or a fifth as mue
? load as on the level. The Importance
= cutting down the hills, or going arour
; them, or up by gradual slant, is al
4 parent. The cost of hauling, by in
provement in the roads, can be reduce
! to from one-third to one-sixth OF Il
: cost on unimproved roads. 1t has be-
= estimated that nearly two million dc
: lars year could be saved in marketii
: the cotton crop alone each year. Hen
! the cotton growing states can well affo
: to spend million dollars year, for
) few years, in making good roads. Wi
: good roads big motor car could do