Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1915-01-06
ROADS BENEFIT II.
RURAL CONDITIONS
Increase Land Values, Give Better
Markets and Help the Schools
and Social Conditions.
(By w. X. Boyd Jr., in the Galveston.
Dallas News.)

(By w. X. Boyd Jr., in the Galveston.
Dallas News.)
/ Admittedly, good roads are import.
ant TO the financial, social and edu.
cational welfare Of any and every
community. They decrease cost OF
transportation and justify the cult.
walton Of crops not otherwise market.
able. They allow a longer period OF
time for marketing, permitting to be
done when prices are more favorable.
They give wider choice of markets,
equalize railroad traffic and mercan.
tile business between different sea.
sons Of the year. They permit more
ready intercourse between rural and
urban population. They facilitate the
consolidation and extension Of work
of rural schools and the rural free de.
livery system.
They tend to solve the great
economic problem of the decline OF
the small farm and the lust of our
farmer boys for city life. These boys,
ISOLATED by impossible roads, too
muddy to travel by wheel, propelled
by human, animal or mechanical
power and yet sufficiently liquid to
navigate by boat rebel against the
free country life and flock to the
cities. more often to become an illus
tration OF failure than an example OF
success.
We have entered upon a new era In
methods Of transportation. The time
was when II required days TO make a
journey to market over well-nigh i'm.
passable roads in oxcarts. The days
were shortened by the horsedrawn
wagon and vehicles Now 100000
automobiles have reyolutionized road
transportation problems Two million
Of these machines are In the United
states and the annual rate Of increase
in automobile building has been near.
/ ~ 100 per cent for the last several
years.
Effect Of Motor Transportation.
Journeys to market and home again
are now only a matter Of q few hours
to thousands Of farmers who use their
automobiles. Teams Of horses which
are costing money TO feed whether
working or not. cannot compete with
motive power consuming fuel only
when in use and, when in use, yield
ing increased marketing service and
results.
The time will come when the auto
mobile is bound to reach its level OF
legitimate profit; when from being
the luxury OF the rich. it will become
the tool OF the workman and farmer.
! The time Is rapidly approaching when
Il will be the dominant vehicle for
travel not merely for pleasure and
heavy trucking in cities. but for the
farmer in his field and in moving pro-
duce along market roads When that
time arrives the people will not be
denied smooth.surfaced passable
roads. The present step in efficient
and economic and increased produc-
ton and distribution is to build high
/ ways of travel for the use OF our
/ farmers Of the means now a: hand
and prepare for the greater efficiency
and increase later surely to come.
Every civilized Nation on the globe
has sooner or later found that a sys-
TEN of permanent roads was absolute
/ ly essential to its proper development.
Many years ago Europe realized this
necessity and an era of road construc.
ton was begun, and has continued,
until today there is no great country
in Europe which does not eejoy an
adequate system of National high
ways, reinforced by. sysems Of local
highways, even in their very smallest
units of government
Effect in England
Caesar bound together the Roman
Empire with a system Of $4,000 miles
of road, extending from Scotland to
Jerusalem, roads that the world has
marveled and wondered about ever
since. Caesar knew that passable
roads were essential to the prosperity
and development of his Empire and
that in no better way could he please
the people and farmers of his day and
time. The great military thorough
fare reaching from Rome to Brundin-
stun, known as the Appian Way, was
but fifteen feet wide and was so we'll
built as to be classed as one of the
marvels.
The growth OF traffic in England
which forced expensive road improve
ment caused the county councils, as
their subdivision officials are known
TO ComDlain at the burden and n nonu.