The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1914-12-17
LEGISLATURE WILL
BE URGED TO MAKE
SECOND LOWEST IN UNION
This Crying Need of the State
and Help the Farmers Reach
the Market IN Peace.
BY Robt. Ewing.

| 1t is absolutely certain that no leg
islation coming before the next Leg
islature, it matters ont what it's nature
may be, can eqpal in Importance that
which will be presented and have for
| its purpose the securing of a better
system of good surface roads through
out the State.
Confessedly, the necessary cost of
! living. nowadays, is beyond what it
ought to be. All classes are feeling
| it severely. If, be the exercise of good
Judgment and energy in action, this
lcost can be lessened, common sense
demands that it shall be. If 10 eb tnc
demands that it shall be. If it be con-
ceded that the vast majority of per-
sons are sustained in life be consum-
ing the direct or indirect products of
the soil, then the follows that they
they are concerned in having the price
kept as reasonable as possible. There
are but two ways of lessening the
cost of farm products. The first and
great way is to induce producers to
take. such advance steps in all branch
es of agriculture as will enable them
TO produce mere bountifully, at less
cost, the second, but nevertheless very
important way, is to arrange to have
these products delivered to consuming
markets at the least cost
With the first requisite towards
cheaper living receiving all the proper
attention, there yet remains the ne
eessity in Tennessee of reducing the
cost of dellvereing these products to
those points wehe they are consumed.
II a farmer can deliver over the
goods road two tons of hay as quick
ly and with as little effort as he can
deliver one over a bad road, it stands
to reason that he will be willing to
give the purchaser the benefit of the
saving which good road has enabled
him to make, because he is a seller of
products, not wagon hire. AS stat
ed, all he desires is reimbursement.
1t is clear, therefore that it behooves
the consumers in cities and towns on
whom the burden of this tax ultimate
~ falls to reduce. this cost of delivery,
because, whatever it may be, they
surely have it topay. They may not
appreciate this fact, but very reliable
statistics clearly show that this extra
cost of delivery, over and beyond what
il ought reasonably to be, and incurred
clone because of bad roads, Is far
greater, in the aggregate, then would
be a most liberal tax ltvied to build
and maintain good roads.
Ii this be so, it follows as surely
as night follows day that consumers
of farm products living in the cities
are far more concerned that good
roads shall be established and main |
tanned than are the farmers themsel-
yes. II this is true--if good roads
are not only desirable, but really a
necessary agent in the reduction of
the cost of living is it not wise ii pro-
vide proper laws that they may be
built in the best way and at the least
cost and by all menas properly main
tanned? 1t is certain that the State
of Tennessee does not possess good
roads in the proportion In which they
are urgently needed.
AT the session of the National Good
Roads Convention held in Atlanta last
month, and which was attended by
more than 4,500 highly intelligent men,
skilled ingDoad making, 1t humiliating-
ly appeared that Tennessee was one of
The six states in the nUion having no
highway association and no well de-
dned system Of laws for obtaining
good roads
II must be apparent to the most
careless observer that for many years
70 come all kinds of food stuffs are
going 10 command very high prices.
As a matter of course farmers, who
produce these things will be entitled
% whatever price they will bring in
the open market, but it is undeniable
hat it stands both producer and con-
lumer ia hand to lessen the cost of
delivering these products from the
arm 10 the market. This can only
be done by making the roads Of the
State leading from. the farm to the