The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1916-11-16
Miles of roads

The government experts state IN
full detail the results of the road
improvements in each of these coun-
ties, and the methods employed IL
ascertaining these results. The in
designations were not hasty observa-
tions from a buggy or automobile !;
they were painstaking searches
through real-estate transfers, public
records, railway reports school re-
ports and like sources of information
studied on the spot until their ac-
curacy was fully established. They
were made from year to year, more
over, to make sure that the local con.
ditions were fully understood and the
annual effect of a road improvement
was ascertained beyond question.
Increased Value.
Real estate transfers showed that
the percentage of increase IN the
value of rural property along these
improved roads in about five year.
was as follows: Franklin, 9 to ia
Spotsylvania, 60 to 80; Dinwiddle
68 to 1874; Lee, 70 to so; Wise, 20 tC
100; Dallas, so to 100; Manatee, 5O
to 100; Lauderdale, 25 to so. The
transfers on which these figures are
based are mostly for property within
a mile of the improved roads.
In each county the extent of the
districts sending vehicles to the i'm
proved road was carefully determine
ed in much the same way that the
drainage area of a stream is ascert-
aimed. The products of these dist
riots and the proportion OF them
hauled over the roads were then as
certained. The railway shipments
from and into the districts were in
vestigated. In case of doubt the
actual travel on the roads was as
certained by counts of the vehicles
and their loads. The average length
of the haul on the roads was found
out. From all these statistics, given
in detail in the report, it is shown
that the cost of hauling one ton one
mile on the roads of these counties
was decreased from an average OF
1876 cents before highway improve
mcnts were made to 1877 cents after
ward. This saving of 17.8 cents per
ton per mile amounts to $G27 400 in
all. To accomplish it the financial
burden amounted to only 6.3 cents
per ton per mile, leaving net saving
of 11.6 cents per ton per mile.
In addition to showing by detailed
figures how the value of land is in
creased and the cost of hauling is de
creased by road improvements, the
United States experts have given de-
finite figures of the social improve
ment due to road betterments. 1t Is
not yet possible to state in numerals
how much better a man is for attend
ing church regularly or how much
better farmers wife is for driving
over a good road whenever she wishes
to call on her neighbors. But there
is one thing to which everybody will
agree. the grammar schools of our
rural territory are one of the great
defenses of GU national prosperity
and the education of our children is
one of our best safeguards for the
wise government of our republic.
And so even the man who guards his
money as a Turk guards his harem
will admit the Importance of these
figures. In the eight counties eX-
amined, the average school, attend
ance increased from sc out of every
100 pupils enrolled before the roads
were improved, to 76 out of every
100 after the Improvements. Ten
per cent more children were heIped
therefore, to become better citizens
by an increase in taxation for roads
amounting to only per cent of the
total tax for all purposes.
With such clean-cut reliable sta
tistics before us, we need no longer
fear the criticism that the rising tide
of opinion for rational road improve
ment is due to sentiment or public
hysteria. The task is to satisfy this
desire in a wise manner and to re.
duce the present enormous waste of
taxes in poorly managed road work.
The country needs the help of the
cautious, critical "tight-wad" there
more than ever, for it is field where
financial skill and an economical in
stinct, in cooperation with good en-
cheering judgment, can accomplish
great results.