The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-09-27
GOOD ROADS
WILL DOUBLE
LAND VALUES
SIDNEY SUGGS SPREADING SEED
FOR GOOD ROADS AMONG THE
CALIFORNIANS - WORKING ON
OCEAN-TO-oCEAN ROAD.

The Fresno (Cal) Morning Repub-
lican of Sept % contains the follow
ing:
That the land values in this coun-
ty will double after permanent roads
are constructed and farmers will Sc
cure ready market for their prod
ucts, was the statement made yester-
day by Sidney Suggs, formerly state
highway commissioner for Oklahoma,
who is making trip through Cali
fornia in the interest of the all-year
ocean-to-ocean highway from Whining
ton n. c., to Los Angeles or San Fran
cisco, on the Pacific coast. While at
tending the Pan-American Good Roads
| Congress in Oakland last week, Mr..
Suggs met the members of the Fresno
county highway commission and was
induced to make a trip through the
San Joaquin valley. He arrived Mon
day night and registered at the
Hughes hotel. Mr.. Suggs is accom-
panied by his wife. They will be
taken into the dairy country today
and will leave later for Los Angeles.
Mr.. Suggs' interest in the ocean-to-
ocean highways, outside Of being in
favor of good road improvements, is
that of securing the routing of the
highway about so miles north of
the tentative route through Arkan-
sas to Dallas, Texas, but is in favor
of building the ocean-to-ocean high
way at a point north, as it makes a
shorter distance and is not so eX-
pensive, because there are fewer
rivers to span.
When | return to Oklahoma /
will have a most glowing report to
make of California and especially of
the San Joaquin valley. | am more
pleased with this section of the state
than words can express. The resour-
ces OF the county seem unlimited, and
you have an abundance of good farm
ing land. | have been interested in
and naturally that is one of the
things that / look for in every sec
tion that | visit. The state highway
is certainly credit to the progress
iveness of California, and many coun-
ties, so | understand, are voting in
dividual good roads bond issues. This
is certainly big step forward. and
the sooner a county gets permanent
roads the quicker it will reap the ben
eft Transportation is now something
to be considered, and the more quick
ly farmer can get his products on
the markets the more returns there
are for him. 1t means that he is
getting more products out of his land
and his earnings are greater. 1t is
now essential that counties have
good roads in order to keep pace with
went on the hundred-mile drive
around the bay, through San Mateo
county and into San Francisco. One
travels at all times on good roads,
but that land adjacent to the high
way is not nearly as productive as
the land in this county. Fresno
county should now have a system .
good roads, and | hope the next time
| come through here | shall be able 70
take another delightful automobile
ride over the permanent highways.
"'The best of construction material
is none too good for the highways
1t is better to spend a larger sum
and have highways that will last long
after the bond issue is met, than 10
build poor highways on small
amount of money. l believe that the
increase in valuation and the produr
tion of land will repay and retire the
bonds if a bond issue is carried in
this county. / can recall down south,
when it took four mules to pull four
bales of cotton to market, and the
travelling was slow Since good roads
have been constructed. two mules
can pull six times that amount
'fMr. Suggs is one OF the pioneer
promoters of good roads in the Uni
ted States. 1t was through his work
that Oklahoma provided a constitu-
tional amendment for the creation of
a highway commission. Later he
was named as the state highway COM
missioner, and served from June,
1911, until June of this year. During
that time 2,4OO miles of good rosds
have been mapped and many miles
constructed in different parts of the
state. Mr.. Suggs makes his home in
Ardmore.
''Mr. Suggs went on an automobile
trip yesterday morning with II. Z.
las g 1,a ,f,.i