The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-07
NATION AWAKE
TO GOOD ROADS
THE DAY WHEN PEOPLE WILL
TRAVEL IN MUD AND RUTs
sEEMs 70 HAVE Passed
WORK HAS FOLLOWED
TALK. .'

Golfers Weekly: One Of the |
~strangest things I'm the history OF the
development Of this country Is that
the people as a nation waited until
the last few years to realize what
good roads mean to civilization. They
waited until after the great era of
railroad building was long since yer
and the United States had become a
world leader industriaIly. 1t seems
that the economic value of first-class
highways ought to have been just as
apparent s~eventy-five years ago as
1t is now but nearly everything else
in the way Of providing general means
Of transportation was done before we
began to consider the road problem
In its true significance. Despite the
obvious fact that the American people
grapple with only a few vital problems
at q time the long delay of the good
roads movement can hardly be ex-
planned.
But the people are not destined to
travel In mud and ruts forever. The
belated good roads movement has
started in earnest, and there is every
reason to believe that it will be car
ried on successfully until no European
nation can boast of as good thorough
fares as ours. 1t is a pioneer move
ment, and 1t is a well known fact that
as pioneers Americans have no supe-
rtors.
Every County Reached.
The campaign of agitation, which
began to attract general attention two
or three years ago, has made marvel
Gus Roadway. Public speeches have
been affected in practically every |
county in the United States. More
speeches have been made and more
printers ink consumed in the discus
sion Of the road problem in the past
two years than in any previous twen-
ty-f1ve years. Scores Of organizations,
local and national, have been started
for the purpose of stimulating public |
sentiment and urging enabling legis-
Iatlon. Hundreds Of commercial as
sociations In towns and cities have
taken up the problem, and thousands
Of public spirited men have contribut-
ed literally of their money for the
furtherance of the cause. Distin-
guished civil engineers are devoting |
their time and labor to the solution
of construction problems, and many |
eminent statesmen are studying the
situation with a view to helping frame
and put through the necessary legis-
lation. Borough, township and county
fiscal authorities are replacing incom-
petent supervisors with skilled road
SuBlileeTS, ana, what means more
than can be easily imagined, a very
large number of rural taxpayers are
beginning to realize that good roads,
Of all public conveniences, are a vital
necessity.
Uncle Sam on the Job.
The national government is doing
some good work for the cause. Post
roads are being built in various states |
to convince state and local authorities
and the people in general that perma- |
nent highways are easily obtainable; |
and the office Of public roads in the de- |
partment Of agriculture, under the d. |
rection of Laurence /. Hewes, is COL |
Letting valuable data for the education
OF the public and for the practical aid
of road builders. Recently provision
was made for the employment of an
expert publicity mar to write govern
ment road news in interesting form. |
The office Of public roads has only be- |
gun to make itself felt in the last year |
or two. It will have to employ a veri-
table army of experts in Interstate |
road building, the likelihood of which
being problemattcal.
These facts are intended to show |
the effect improved highways have
upon property values. Five years ago |
a farmer In Lee county, Virginia. Of |
fered to sell his farm of 100 acres for
$1,000. At that time the county author
tiles were planning to improve the
road passing his land, and he objected
to having the work done, because he |
did not think the road would be worth
the money it would cost. The armer' !
protest was ignored and the road was
improved. Recently he refused $4,000 |
for the land. The price of another
farm on the same road jumped from
$4,000 to $4,000. The selling value of
farms in Jackson, Ala, was increased |
from Sc to SIS per acre to from SIS to
$25 per acre by the construction of
good th~oroughfares.
An interesting Investigation was
conducted by the Minneapolis civic
and Commerce association. INQUIRY |
was made into farming conditions as |
affected by poor highways in an area |
OF seVenty-tiVe square miles surround |
ing the city. The distances covered by
farm vehicles. the tonnage of produce |
hauled to market, the losses resulting
from the transportation OF small loads |
and from the inability of farmers and (
truck gardeners to reach the best mar !
kets at the proper times, the injury To
horses n mules and the extra wear !
and tear Of vehicles, and the sacrifice |
of time-there were all figured out by
experts in very much the same way |
the census bureau goes after compre
hensive totals There were 4.069 farm
ers in the district, and the aggregate
loss through bad roads in one wear !
was $60S, 72S, or about one-tenth as
much as they received for their prod
uce. If such a survey were made of
the entire country the figures would
be bewildering.
Some Large Contracts.
In some localities the work of i'm
proving roads Is being done on a large
scale, and in most instances it will BE-
increased from year to year. New
York Is now spending a $50, 600. 600 |
fund on its highways. At the Novem-
Der election the voters of Pennsyl- |
vania will pass upon a constitutional
amendment authorizing the legislature
to raise as much as $4,000, 900. Single
counties in some of the western states
are spending from 5000, 600 to 81, OOO, 900
at a time. Some of the southern states
are preparing to spend large sums, in
proportion to their assessed wealth.
Each state, Of course, has its own par
ticular way Of conducting highways
affairs.
The highways bill for all the states
and territories now amounts to many
millions annually, and in the near fu-
ture 1t will run into hundreds Of mil
lions. According to Charles Henry
Davis, president pro tempore of the
National Highway association and a
recognized authority on road problems.