Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-28

through the means of road improve
ment.
There is no need today OF saying a
word about the advantages of improv-
ed roads; all citizens of the State are
of one mind in this respect. Indeed,
our citizens are so thoroughly imbued
with this idea that it manifests itself
in a spirit which it seems to rue was
well characterized by a speaker at one
of the hearings held by the state high
way commission during last fall as "A
selfish scramble;" that is to say. every
man in the State is anxious for an
improved road to be located in front
of his property and this is a perfect
ly natural and perfectly legitimate de-
sire and request for every man to
make: 1t is impossible, of course, to
bring about Immediately the improve
ment of all the roads in the State, but
every citizen OF the State has an in
terest fn having such road improve
ment as is done under State auspices
done upon the proper location and un-
der proper supervision to secure foI
the State at large the greatest return
upon the investment to be made.
think everyone in the State, who
has given the matter of road improve
ment the slightest thought, realizes
that conditions are found here which
can hardly be duplicated in any other
state in the Union. The business OF
Maine is not wholly agriculture, it is
not wholly manufacturing; neither Is
it the entertainment of summer tour
lists.
During the last three years it has
been my good fortune to have the OPP
portunity to travel quite extensively
over the eastern half of the United
States and on my travels | have met
and conversed with men from practi.
cally every state in the Union and
have not yet found a man who has
told me that he would not rather spend
all OF his vacation in Maine than In
any other state in the Union.
do not believe that we should de-
vote our energy to the construction OF
system of automobile thoroughfares
to the exclusion of the other interests
of the State but 1 do believe that the
business which will actually follow the
building Of a system of good roads II
Maine can be more easily and quickly
developed than almost any other line
of business in this State. One of the
best friends ever had, and witt
whom | had the privilege of working
for period of three or four years. has
stated to me repeatedly that If yet
want to get money you have got to &c
where money is To paraphrase this
statement, ] would say if YOU want tx
get money into the State you mus
attract the people who have it.
We have all heard more or less il
the last few years about New Hamp-
shire highways; have heard severa
times in a conversational way abou
the large investments of nonresident
property holders in New Hampshire
Out of curiosity went through tht
recent reports of the New Hampshire
Board of Agriculture. A report pub
sished in 1865 by n. j. Bachelor, Elk
| Governor of New Hampshire and Pas
Master Of the National Grange, VIII
was then secretary to the State Boart
Of Agriculture, carries some interest
ing statistics from which quote tn,
following: tfiss
During the year 19o4i4e71 farms wer,
purchased for summer homes; 2e
| summer homes were butit or reruodeiet
and the names of 1856 permanent sum
mer residents We're added to the stat'
| directory. Statistics carefully collect
ed and compiled during the same
| year show that summer residents il
| ten towns in New Hampshire spent fo
entertainment sl.5oo,O ,O0oQn. Compared
with $685., 900 which was the amount lef
by summer residents in the same town
in 1890 this was a very healthy growth
| in that line of business.
In the reports for 1909-10 the matte
is further discussed and the statemen
| is there made that not less than sl5,
| 100000 is spent every year by summe
visitors who come into the State ant
| that not less than s2,o00,o 900 annually il
| left there as a permanent investmen
in summer property. You will notic'
| from the figures I have quoted tina
the increase in the summer business
| of New Hampshire has been very rap
id since 1894 and that during this tiin'
the State has spent 81, 100000 in deVel