The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1915-07-29

and equally SO In the relation TO
schools. churches and towns. This
will be shown by q few specific ms
tances. all Of which are q matter OF
record.
In Jackson County. Alabama, q bond
issue Of S250.0OO was voted for road
improvements, and ~ per cent
OF the roads in the county were
worked over and improved Prior to
this road Improvement. the average
selling price of farm land in jackson
County WAS from six to fifteen dollars
per acre. according to the location,
soil. and other general conditions.
But after the improvements were com
pleted and their advantages fullyrsal-
lied. the average selling price OF the
same land advance to an average Of
fifteen to twenty-five dollars per acre.
In Lee County. Virginia. a farmer
owned one hundred acres along the
road between Ben Hur and Jonesville,
and which, before the road was i'm
proved. he had offered to sell for 81,
500. which offer was not accepted.
Several years latter. agitation was
started for the improvement Of this
road. and the farmer owning the land
bitterly fought against the proposed
Improvement, as portion OF the cost
would be levied against his
farm, the levy, however. being very
small The road was improved, how
ever. and shortly after the improved
road was opened to traffic. the farmer
refused a voluntary offer of 5000
for the same farm.
Along this same Ben Hur road. a
tract Of lSOacres OF farm land was
supposed to have been sold for 5000,
but the purchaser laid down on his
agreement to buy and the owner of
the farm threatened to sue him. The
road was improved during the course
of the controversy. and although no
improvements Of any kind had been
made on the farm, 1t sold but short
time afterward for $1,000. Prior to
the improvement of the Ben Hur road
the merchants OF Jonesville were COM
PEELED to haul their goods from BeE
Hur.where the nearest railroad station
was located. At that time they were
able to haul but $500 pounds with a
two-horse team, and to make but one
round trip per day when the road was
was in ordinary condition. But after
the road was improved by macadamiz-
ing the same team Of horses was able
to haul 5000 pounds and to make two
round trips per day This showed a
gain in efficiency, or earning power Of
the team. of $50 per cent, due entirely
to the improvement of the road.
1nDinwiddie County, also inVirginia.
where a good system Of hard-surfaced
roads has been constructed during the
past five years, an average load OF to-
baco has risen from 200 pounds to I.
900 pounds. which is an increase OF
233 per cent. for two-horse team,
which is solely due to the improvement
of the roads
In Franklin County. New York. a
bond issue of $5OO,OOO for road i'm
provement was voted in 1910. There
are large number Of fine dairies in
the county, practically all of which
are dependent to a greater or less ex-
tent upon the condition of the roads to
get the milk and other dairy products
to the railroads. Prior to the i'm
provement of the roads the average
load OF milk for two-horse
team was 5000 pounds. After the
roads were improved. the average load
of milk hauled was increased to $500
pounds or an increase of GO per cent.
Illustrative of the effect Of road i'm
provement upon the volume OF produc-
ton and traffic, the experience Of
Spottsylvania County, Virginia. Is in
teresting During the past five years
there has been in the neighborhood of
roads. Within two years after the
road Improvement commenced, the out
going agricultural and forest products
hauled by railroad from Fredricksburg
WHICH Is Tie piihSiPai siiPphs pon'
in the country, increased from $4,000
tons to 60.994 tons,Or over A per
cent Practically all Of this freight
had to be hauled from the farms and
from the forests to the railroad, so the
increase in freight, and incidentally in
the prosperity of the country. is di-
rectly and solely due to the improve
ment Of the roads. The dairy and