Farmers' champion. (Elgin, Okla.) 1912-1922, 1916-11-15
6B[g(
ROADS
ROAD BUILDING A BAROMETER
Prospective Buyers Of Real Estate
First Want to Know u Roads
Are Being Built


n man from the ccrn belt was listening
Ia the agent describe the lands on his
list. lie asked about soil. crops, mar
kcts and then faced the agent squarely.
"What l want to know most about
right now." said he, ''is your roads.
If you are building roads your coun-
try is all right. II you are not, will
look little further along"
As but one township in ,he county
had worked up nerve enough to pass
u 100000 bond issue, he looked "a lit
tie further along"
The would-be buyer is not the only
man who watches road building as IA
sort of barometer indicating what q
section is going to do, says an Oklp-
homa writer In Farm Progress. The
bond buyer has his eye on such COM
munities. He knows that they are
going to get somewhere, for the plain
reason that they are willing to pay for
progress. He regards the road situa-
tion as more significant than farm club
organizations or the number of farm
ers' Institutes. He may consider that
talk Is cheap, but good roads indicate
willingness to spend money In order
10 get more money.
Road bonds are counted as good
investment because the township or
the county upon which they have been
voted Is going to be better and more
productive region. The section Is go
ing to develop, II Is going to be worth
and produce more and get to be worth
more every year. That makes good
and Il safe investment.
Years ago the department Of agricul.
ture watched the results on iand
values Of the building Of good roads
through some Of the eastern states.
particularly In Virginia. Some of these
lands had been "worn out" It was
thought, In the production OF tobacco.
Good roads, not makeshift dirt af-
fairs, were laid down and In couple
Of years land prices climbed right up
the ladder. They were in touch with
the world. with the towns and with
the markets II months In the year,
and the buyers appreciated this and
were willing to show their apprecia'
u0n In cold, round dollars.
That the owners, some of whom had
fought the roads bitterly, had lively
appreciation Of the same thing, WIS
shown by the quickness with which
they raised their prices per acre and
the firmness with which they turned
down all lower offers. The roads
showed them and they were quick OF
understanding.
Up in Iowa the "unearned incre
ment has made lot of farmers
mighty nearly rich. "Unearned incre
ment" Is IA way of describing what
happens when IA man buys land cheap
ly and an increasing population makes
1t worth more. 1t is something that
happens sooner or later i'm every com
munity that Is built up out of the viii
derness, In every town that starts t
grow and keeps growing.
Good roads help to ripen this ''un
earned increment" about as fast n,
anything can. OF course, n man wh'
pays so many cents per acre over ,
term of years in order To meet tn,
interest and the principal on roat
bonds Is helping somewhat towar,
earning this Increment" but he Il
getting by far the better end of tn,
deal. At the most he Is not going I,
pay out very much money, and wheI
land begins to climb up by 50 an acr
leaps he certainly can cash In If h
cares to.
But he won't care to turn this in
crease of value into money If he know
the ways OF wisdom. He will live b.
the side of the road, filed with
sense of satisfaction that his estate ha
been increased In vnlue and that tn
good, hard highway is going to max
II easier for him to be a better farne
and to make more money.
The passage of n good roads bon
issue Is forecast of what IA CON
munity Is going to be ten years henc,