Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-05-01
A STIMULUS FOR GOOD ROADS

In this age when good roads mean
more to the people than they did i'll
the palmy days, when Roman high
ways were the arteries of civilization
stimulus for good roads is of vital
importance to all classes of people.
The good road to-day is even more an
instrument of civilization than in the
days of the Caesars.
A factor in cheaper and better
roads, then, is one that is of incalcula-
BILE good in the modern order of things
Such factor is the placing upon the
market today of road building mater
ials at lower prices than in the past.
The removal of the tariff on asphalt
would be a widely beneficial step in
the right direction. While the tariff
is being revised, the tax on asphalt
should be removed. This would sim
ply mean the cheapening of the price
of the materials that go into the
making of good roads.
The removal of the tariff on asphalt
would secure a corresponding reduc-
ton on all of the other binders for
road making that are secured in this
country. Asphalt is the only one of
these bindings that is imported, SO
that with the removal of the tariff Of
So a ton on refined and $3.50 ton on
crude asphalt, the cost Of other blum
nous materials made in this country
would be reduced that much. In fact,
the lively competition procured in this
manner should serve to give a sharp
and permanently helpful stimulus to
cheaper good roads
As long as the present tariff re-
mains on asphalt, it serves not only to
increase the cost of roads and streets
where asphalt is used but by an infeX-
ble law of trade serves to add just
that much more to the cost of domes
tic products used as binders in road
and street building. The makers Ct
domestic road binders that compete
with asphalt will continue to add at
least as much as the tariff on asphalt
to the price of their products, which
the taxpayers of the country must pay
Il may be seen from this how the
tariff on asphalt strikes home to the
pocketbook of every citizen in the
country.
1t may be seen from this, too, how
the removal of the duty from asphalt
en- the other hand, will serve to reduc,
the price of asphalt by the amount O
the tariff removed and consequently
tighten the burden of the American
taxpayers to this extent The benef
Ct the removal of the tariff will b;
reaped directly by the taxpayers, whll.
the more wholesome competition thu,
established will still leave sufficient.
large profits FOR the manufacturers O
domestic road-binders. In this man
rer the burden of paying more than +
necessary for good roads and street
will be lifted from the shoulders o
the taxpayer
!, At present the oil asphalts producet
in this country are lower in price thai
the imported product The asphal
| producers in this country need H.
: protection. They secure their pro
ducts at smaller cost and will con
t;nue to do so. The removal of tn
, tariff from imported asphalt will serv
to make the cost of domestic asphal
still lower than it now is, with tn
, further advantages that this will ne.
essarily bring to the taxpayers of TN
country. Unless the duty is remove,
from imported asphalt, the price of tn
domestic oil asphalt, which is con
stantly increasing in price. will be
come more fixed and stationary ii
competition with the imported FRO
dMct
Win duty removed from impor'e'
asphalt. it could be obtained mucl