American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1916-01-20
THE MUD TAX.

Ol"iy DiSoo"
THE MUD TAX.
Id Graham, in the Rural Spirit, says: Ever think why
land adjacent to a good road is worth more than equally
good land that is not? Ever think that every time it
rains you are farther away from market? Did you ever
think that a bad road decreases your profits, increases
your taxes and hikes up the cost of living?
Yet all of these things are true and more. With our re-
quiremnts of fencing our lands we require all traffic to
move over a narrow strip of land, and this, when not
crowned or surfaced with some wear-resisting material,
becomes a streak of dust in summer or a stream of mud
in winter. These conditions serve to make the distance to
market much greater and in order to overcome them the
farmers must haul lighter loads or double teams or wait
for better weather.
When the roads are bad but little hauling to market u.s.
done. When they again are passable everybody hauls to-
market and a congested condition arises which forces pri-
ces of products down. Do you wonder that prices vary?
But you pay for the variation, not the dealer.
If you are forced by road conditions to haul lighter
loads you must go oftener in order to deliver the same
amount of products and this takes time and reduces your
profits by just that much. If you double your teams in
order to get over the roads you have again increased the
cost and reduced your profits. The mud tax is a greater
burden to bear than all other taxes, even including those
which may come through preparedness"
Everything and in every way that you increase your
expenses you decrease your profits. If you are compelled
to market your products only when weather will let yok
do so your profits are whitfield down by congestion on
the railroads as well as in the local markets and you have
done the whiting becaus you stand for" bad roads.
Nature contests every mans effort and does not tire.
The building of a good road is a contest with nature and if
this be we'll done it is victory. A victory shortens the dis
lance to town, increases the value of land, makes every
farm home a ~postoffice for the delivery of mail, brings the
church, the school, the lecture, the theatre within easv
reach and opens the social life of the city as well as the
country to the farmer who has been shut out before be-
cause of the mud tax.
Uncle Sam has recognized the isolation of the farmer
and how this acts to retard his progress towards both
material and mental well being and is seeking to remedy
this matter. There is now pending in congress a measure
which provides that the United States shall pay one-fourth
of the expense of building permanent rural roads which
are used as mail routes when the property owners, the
county and the state each pay one-fourth. This bill will
probably pass congress and become a law, but your influ-
ence is needed with your congressman to see that it does
pass and then it is greatly needed to secure the coopera-
ton of your n%eighbors, your county and your state.
Nothing on earth is so important as that which needs do
ing now and emancipation from the slavery of the mud
is within reach. Let us get busy and mend our WAYS
and highways.
The program of the Farmers Institute to be held in Am
erican falls, February IA and Is, will be found elsewhere
IN this issue. 1t is the best program ever prepared for a
like occasion IN this county. In one respect it reminds one
of the story of the colored deaconwho was overtaken bv a
cyclone. Noting the storm coming the deacon tried to find
a place of safety, but could get no further than a grove of
small trees when the storm broke upon him and he SOUGHT
refuge in prayer. Grabbing a sappling to keep from being
blown away, he prayed somewhat as follows: 20. Lawd.
you knows you has promised to protect yore faithful chill
len in times of need and distress, and has tole them they
shall not call on thee in vain. am remindin' thee oh Lawd.r
of thy promise. Come now and help this pore HELPLESS
chile; Don send yo' son, but come yo'self. This amt no place
for chillen." The children are not being sent here. Those
coming include DR.. Sullivan, government hog cholera ex-
pert in charge of hog cholera eradication in the Twin Falls
country. Someday we may be awfully glad to have heard
him: E. ]. Iddings, head of the agricultural department
of the State University; c. C. Vincent. horticuiturist of
the University; A. S. Johnson, specialist in poultry at the
University; j. Wyley Sessions, agriculturist at the Techni-
cal Institute at Pocatello, are on the program. They are
authorities in their different lines. H. K. Wylie, the alfalfa
seed grower who sells all his seed to the United States
government, is also on the program. There are other i'm
portant features. Read it and be prepared to attend all tfAe
sessions.