Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-06-21


could market your crop wnsn w.
liked, to catch the higher price!
Many hundred Of thousands Of dol
lars to the farmers Of Iowa. and this
loss Is Just al real as though you had
the extra money in your pocket and
then burned It up.
| Let's be honest with ourselves and
recognize the times we did not go to
town with wheat or corn or oats be-
cause the roads were bad. No manit
facturer would put up with such q
condition in the marketing OF his
products II he could help it. He gets
cars when he wants them or finds out
why. Farming is the biggest bust
ness in Iowa and should have proper
facilities.
Do you know 1t costs more to get
your crops from the farm to the rail-
road station than it does from the
railroad station to market? We com.
plain about an increase in railroad
freight rates Of small amount, and
possibly justly, and overlook an op-
portunity to cut down an already ex-
listing expense in an amount that in
many cases would 60 long way
towards paying the total railroad
freight rate. l was taught early that
1t was not what you got that counted
but what you saved-not what the vol.
ume Of a business might be that was
all important but what portion Of that
volume was net-in other words, that
expenses were as important as in
come. Good roads will actually make
money in the money they save. That
is why am for them-not for Joy
riding. Let us make them pay and
get the joy riding, the visiting, the
larger community life as extra diyi-
dends.
Residents On Improved Roads Are
Pleased.
Within the last few months, I wrote
. large number Of farmers living up
on improved roads, in several states,
asking them how they were pleased,
whether they would take back the
money the roads cost them. and go
back to the old conditions; and !
pledge you my word that without ex-
ception there was no man living upon
an improved road who would take his
money back and 60 back to the old
road (and in many cases they paid
out OF their own funds large portion
Of the cost Of the road without re-
course to general taxation, the bur
den Of payment being proportionately
greater) and every farmer reported
that his land had advanced several
dollars an acre, the average being
$1,000 from the four hundred farmers
heard from.
Now If 1t Is agreed that the better
road with the hills cut down, the road
graded and graveled, with permanent
bridges is really better than our pres
emit dirt roads, which are at many
times Of the year practically impass-
able, the next proposition is how to
get this better road without costing
any extra money or without the In
crease OF one dollar In taxes.
10 Z
Bridge Problem First.
First, we will apply ourselves to
the bridge problem. A certain coun-
ty have in mind, and 1t may be your
county, has paid $179,000.00 for
bridges In the past three years. an
average OF $60,00O.O0 per year. A
very large portion Of this has gone for
repairs, maintenance, etc" To be
exact, $13O,O0O.O0 Of this $17s,000.O 90
went for repairs and temporary con-
structiOn. think Of Il, t13o, 900. 90 for
repairs or for temporary bridges that
would soon need repairs, out Of to-
tai Of $179yO0o.00. A survey Of the
county have In mind shows that
nine to ten hundred thousand dollars
would bridge every stream in the
county with permanent bridges.
These bridges and culverts ought to
stand for the next one hundred years
II put in properly and the maintenance
would be practically nothing. Now
on the basis OF the money spent for
bridges for the past three years land
I might as we'll tell you that It is Cass
County / am talking about you would
in 80 years pay in enough money to
put in these permanent bridges, In.
cluding all the interest you would pay
ct four and one-half percent. You
ought under present conditions to get
the money at four percent and ut that
rate you would discharge the whole
debt and pay all the interest in q
years.
wish to emphasize that this is on
the basis Of your average for the past
three years. On the basis Of what
you spent on bridges last year (1915)
you could pay OF all your bonds and
interest in q years. On the other
hand on the basis of what actually
went into permanent bridges last year
1t will take you 143 years to get per-
manent bridges in Cass County be-
cause so large portion OF what you
paid in bridge taxes went into repairs.
also wish to call your attention
to the fact that Cass County was not
especially selected by me but got
the figures ON Cass County because
was requested to come here and
talk this problem over with you. You
will agree that with the Nishnabotna
River, Indian Creek, Camp Greek,
Walnut Creek, etc., more bridges are
necessary in Cass county than in
many of the other counties Of the
state or counties not having so many
streams. You have, In fact, one Of