The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1916-11-16
Big Increase In
Property Value
AS RESULT OF CONSTRUCTION
OF GOOD ROADS, AS FIGURED
OUT BY THE GOVERNMENT
IN SOME INSTANCES THE IN
CREASE HAS BEEN MORE
THAN ONE HUNDRED PER
CENT.

Washington, Nov. 11-That mali
gned person, the tight wad," has
his use 1t is a good thing his reluct-
ance become separated from his
earned or unearned increments oc-
casionally gives pause, even check
mate, to the enthusiasm of the pro-
moter of good things, real and mag
mary. Take the case of the advo-
cate of rational road Improvements.
His studies and Investigations have
shown him that bad roads increase
the burden of the farmer, dull the life
of the farmers wife, check the
schooling of the farmers children,
keep the doctor away from the sick
chamber when he is needed, and even
diminish the solace that is derived
from regular church attendance. He
knows, and everybody else knows,
that this keeps back the development
of high-grade farming, which in turn
gives a push upward to the cost of
farm products. All these things are
perfectly true.
The advocate of sensible road i'm
provements tells the crusty eight
wad" that engineers have reported a
road can be built for a stated sum,
and will he please support the move
ment because it will help to keep the
high cost of living from soaring high
er. The financially close party asks
for proof, and receives the above
explanation. His service to the
world is then illustrated. "Such
things are mere platitudes," he as
serts, they are mere generalities.
You must show to me by definite fig
ures that the roads are worth their
cost. before / shall part with the
fruits of the labor Of my hard-work-
ing employees. This rejoinder has
revealed the fly in the ointment for
CLOSING many deserving attempts to
make road improvements appeal to-
| the man with close fist encircliag
! a large bank roll. Yet it is a per-
fectly sound position for him to take
The great English scientist, Lord
Kelvin, once stated that people know
| little about most subjects until they
can discuss them in measured quan-
titles. The value of road improve
ments has not been capable of de-
finite discussion, the kind of discuss
ion which influences many able busi-
lness men, because there has been no
measure of actual results accomplish
ed by such betterments.
Definite Knowledge.
We have at least definite know
ledge. Uncle Sans roadbuilding
bureau, known as the Office of public
roads and rural engineering, has a
division devoted to the study of the
economical relations of roads to the
public. 1t has been quietly accumu-
lating positive facts to show that i'm
proving roads and then maintaining
them properly brings a financial gain
to the community that does these
things. The condition of eight
counties just before road building
began was very carefully investigat-
ed, and a similar investigation was
made each succeeding year for a
period of five years. The results are
given in full detail in Bulletin 393 of
the U. S. department of agriculture.
1t was written by j. E. Pennybacker,
chief of road economics in the roads,
and M. o. Eldridge, one of his assist
ants. 1t supplies the information the
'tight-wad" has been cynically re-
questing these many years., and
sweeps away the most serious because
partly justifiable, critism of road i'm
provements. At last we can give
definite figures of what good roads
have done under radically different
conditions.
Eight counties furnish this infor-
nation. Franklin county, New York,
runs down from the plains along the
st. Lawrence in the north into the
Adirondacks in the south. 1t has an
area of 1878 square miles, about
$4,000 population, and the largest
town is Malone, with about $500 in
habitants. The principal industries
are dairying, numbering and the
entertainment of summer visitors.
Spotsylvania county, Va, has an
area of 401 square miles north Of
Richmond and was so thoroughly shot
to pieces in the Civil war that for
half century it slowly drifted down
grade. The population is about 49,
600; the largest town is Fredericks-
burg, with 5000 inhabitants who con-
tribute nothing to county road i'm
provements; the principal products
in 1910 were timber and cross-ties.
Dinwiddie county, Va, is south of
Richmond. 1t has an area of 521
square miles, of which four-ffths was
classed as farming land in 1910. al
though only one-third of the farm
area was improved. In that year
the population was $4,000, of which
$4,000 was in Petersburg and not
subject to tax for county roads.
Lee county, Va, is in the south
western corner Of the state and has
an area of 433 miles, varying in
character from gently rolling farm
land to rugged mountains. It has
many bluegrass pastures where beef
cattle are raised and is also cultivated
extensively. The p< ulation was
$4,000 in 1910 and t e are no large
towns.
Dallas county, Fla, has 1897
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