Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-07-24

citation. Will De one OF the eptaheis
and there will be several others. The
program has not been completed as
vet. II 10 expected that G. ]. Searle,
who is now on his farm in Buffalo
Prairie township. will talk. The meet
ing will open at s O'Clock and will be
the second of a series to arouse inter
est and educate the public in this mat
ter.
The printed matter prepared for dis
tribution throughout the county con-
tains the following:
Hard surface wagon roads are now
demanded by the people throughout
the length and breadth of the United
States. This demand is tnsistent be-
cause the farmers pay an annual extra
tax of 1917. 500. 900 to poor and muddy
roads. on farm produce hauled to rail-
roads alone. II Is estimated that more
than one-half of this loss falls upon
the producer of such staples as corn,
wheat, hay, oats, barley, rye and po-
tatoes.
These figures are so startlingly true
that the federal government is back
now crystalizing in every state of the
union.
Small Per Cent Improved.
Authentic Investigations recently
completed by the federal good roads
office show that the total road mileage
of the United States, exclusive of
Alaska and insular possessions, is
22IO.S4T miles, of which only 1890
miles, or a fraction of over s per cent,
are improved and that the average
cost of hauling over dirt roads is %
cents per ton per mile, while over i'm
proved roads the cost is but cents per
ton per mile.
The average haul from the farm to
the depots or markets in the United
States is estimated at nine miles. -
% cents per ton per mile with an aver
age haul of nine miles the hauling cost
over dirt roads is s2.O7 per ton. where
as over improved roads for the same
distance the cost is reduced TO ~
cents per ton, thus saving to the farm
ers s1.35 per ton on every ton hauled
by them.
The question of goods roads now
therefore, is a business proposition,
pure and simple. County roads must
be considered as a business enterprise
All tax payers are stockholders in this
enterprise and ms such many are nat
urally clamoring for dividend results
in the form of permanent hard surface
roads.
Associa ion Has Mission.
I'm Rock Island county there are
6I7 miles of dirt roads. To study out
the best way TO improve these roads
and to transmit to others the knowl-
edge acquired is the self-assumed duty
Of the Rock Island County Highway
Improvement association.
Permanent hard surface roads are
subject to natural law of systematic
praying for them, or posing resolu-
tons in favor of them will not build
them. Such roads cost money but
they soon earn much more than they
cost. There is no argument in favor
Of poor roads. They simply reflect
upon the Intelligence of the people in
every community.
The Rock Island County Highway
Improvement association recognizes
and is acting upon the fundamental
principle that every community con-
tains within itself the means of it's own
bettsrm ent. This recognition leads
TO immediate action when there is a
vital public service to be performed.
This cooperative association. there
fore, proposes a good roads bond issue
OF $1,000. 100000 TO meet present county
requirements.
"A million dollar bond issue at the
first suggestion scares the average
man in the city as well as the country,
but after carefully considering the fol-
lowing financial statements such a
bond issue in the interest of good
roads now should become matter OF
joyful anticipation"
Payments Decrease
The financial statement, in tabulated
form. shows that in paying off the
S1.00o.00O worth of bonds in 20 years
the interest the first year would be
$4,000, the total payment being $685.
600, while the interest the Goth year
would be but $3.50 and the total pay
ment for the final year s52.25O. The
average annual payment would be
S73,G25.
The statement of county resources
shows that an assessed valuation in the
county for 1913 of $21,472 ,945 the con-
stitutional limit of indebtness is S1,073,-
G47. The taxes raised by the constitu-
tional limit of taxation are S161, 1855,
which, with receipts of SIS, 320.56 from