Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1914-04-01
PLAIN STATEMENT
To THE FARMER
ON THE BYROAD
y FEW WORDS ON THE BENEFIT
OF THE COUNTY SYSTEM
TO HIM

Mr.. Byroad Farmer, are you con-
sidering the attitude you will take on
the County road system at the cleo
tion next Monday? Have you thought
that its adoption would not benefit
you because the first road might not
be built past your farm? Do you
think that its adoption would deprive
you of doing road work on the thor
oughfare in front of your property?
Do you consider that you will be saw
ing money by voting against it? If you
be built past your farm? DO you
do isn't il possible that you are mis-
taken?
AS a concrete example of how il
Will benefit you let us consider one of
the possible roads, if the system is
adopted, and its effect upon your farm
and all of the farms in your township.
Going west from Belding to Cooks
Corners and thence on TO the west side
of Otisco township we might under
this system have a county road built.
Now take the farm four miles out
that lies directly on the course of this
road. The owner of this farm will
probably pay $14 tfor the sake of
argument) taxes on his eighty acres
that will go into the road fund. AS
soon as the road is built his farm will
have increased in value several hun
dred dollars. He will also have a good
road to Belding, over this road he
can draw twice as much each load as
he did before. There will be less wear
and tear on the team, harness and
wagon. The farmer is worth from
one to several hundred dollars more
than formerly, and only at a small ex-
penditure in taxes.
Now, take you, Mr.. Byroad Farmer.
You own a farm four miles west and
two miles south Of Beiding. Because
of the county system your eighty is as
sessed say, 81 for the four miles OF
main road running into town. Be-
cause it is adjacent to the good road
the value of your farm in proportion
is increased (not so much as the
other) but at least half as much as
that of the former farm, and with
only one-seventh the tax expense. Now
when you want to go to town you drive
over the poor road two miles From
the time you reach the good road you
can trot your team into town using
the same road that the first man has
helped construct in "a larger proper
ton than you. You get the same bene-
tit for two dollars that the first man
gets for fourteen. Your farm has in
creased in value more in proportion
than his and you still have the high
way commissioner and his allotted
money with which to repair the road in
front of your farm. The expense of
keeIing the road =. repair is taken
off OF the township and more than
half is being paid by Belding, Ionia
and other cities in the county, as was
also the money used in building it.
Next year the road would very likely
be extended Gas by the county system
we keep on building roads, and this
time it would go past your farm. In
ten years time every road in the coun-
ty, almost, will be brought under the
county system. You will have good
road and the other farmers of your
territory will have them also.
But, you say, suppose that the coun-
ty system does not carry? Well this
is what you will do. You will pay
the tax just the same and your neigh
Dor will pay his just the same. BUT
all of this money goes to some other
county in the state TO help the farmers
there build their roads Where would
you rather use this money, on the road
between your place and Belding or
over in Gratiot county? 1t will go
there or TO some other county in the
state if you refuse the offered help.