The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-26
TOWASMAN' INTEREST
IN COUNTRY ROADS

cNhC pSA eOhS bViHR III cities saw
they have no interest in road building,
that they have their hands full try
ing to keep the city streets in fair con-
diuon. Let the hicks build their own
roads. IL they want Them" Ia no often
heard that the other view of the case
has earned the privilege of little
space.
When the average townsman dress
es IN the morning. a large part Of the
clothes he put on are made of cotton.
which has to be teamed over a good
many miles from the plantations to the
shipping points. II he has fruit, CO.
us say. about everything he eats has
been hauled over several miles of
roads, either to be shipped to him or
to the mills where II is prepared for
shipment. A large part of the furni-
ture In his home and at his Office has
been made from hardwood hauled over
the roads. These and other things
which anybody can list for himself
must all vary in price to the townman
with the cost OF hauling them from
the farms and forests to the mills or
railroad stations. just what this fact
means has been stated by j. E. PEN
nypacker. the highway economist of
the United States ONCE of Public
Roads, as follows:
The public roads throughout the
country, which constitute the primary
means OF transportation for all agri-
cultural products. for many millions
OF tons of forest mine and manufac-
tured products. and which for a large
percentage Of farmers are the only
avenues of transportation leading from
the point of production to the point
of consumption or rail shipment have
been improved to only a slight extent.
By reason of this fact, the prevailing
cost OF hauling over these roads lie
about 20 cents per ton per mile. More
than $50. 100000 tons are hauled over
these roads each year. and the average
haul fs about miles. from which 1t
can readily be seen that our annual
bill for hauling over the public roads
is nearly Ss5o.000, 900. The cost per
ton mile for hauling on hard surfaced
10 therefore evident that II our roads
were adequately improved a large an
nual saving in the cost of hauling
would result"
The difference between - cents and
IS cents Is 10 cents. which the ton
mile tax OF poor roads which the city
people pay. for the most of the haul
ing il toward markets or shipping
point. and tho cos, OF this hauling ID
part OF the total expense of products
of the land to the consumer. The to-
tai is abou, $2so.ooo.ooo. which the
100000 people living in the cities
and towns Of the United States pay an
nually on account Of poor roads This
averages over six dollars q year per
person.
Poor roads put a much more serious
drain on the townmans pocketbook.
however. His food is costing him
more every year, and he therefore has
n very close personal interest in having
the agricultural lands farmed in such
a way that they yield their largest re-
turns at the lowest working cost. This
means more than producing milk and
eiudes raising at low expense the
wheat and corn from which his flour
and meal are made, producing fowls
and hogs economically. and reducing
the cost Of growing cotton. How many
intelligent young men. able to earn q
good living in q city. will live in the
country II they rave to travel through
miles OF mud or dust, at decided ply
steal DISCOMFORT, in order to market
their products. meet their friends or
buy their supplies? How many wo-
men will be willing to live in the coun-
Try. where bad roads isolate them with
with the doctor almost inaccessible,
the schools hard for the children to
reach. and churchgoing = real labor
Yet II the townsman 10 to have the
things he eats grown for him snicient-
ly and economically he must take his
part In making country life agreea BILE
ana profitable to these intelligent
young people. 1t means q saving Of
dollars and cents to him.
Good roads will 90 d long way to-
ward solving this problem At getting
people into the country to raise our
food products as they must be raised
and at the same time raise up another
generation OF farmers and farmers
wives, who will love the soil and the
tilling thereof. These are two won
derfully convincing demonstrations OF
this that anybody can see ana enjoy in
the seeing. 1t 10 only necessary to
ride along the turnpike from
Philadelphia to Gettysburg one
Of the oldest improved roads
In the United States, to travel
for . day through q rich farming
country 20 well cultivated that farms.
thrifty farms. are always In sight ex-
this region has been traversed, another
famous old turnpike leading from
Martinsburg. w. Va. to staunton, Va.
should be visited. For four years war
ravaged this section; ono town in 1t
changed hands eighty times four
times In one daytime traces Of that
struggle can be seen In many places.
but they are now merely historical
landmarks. For here, Al In Pennsyi-
vania, the highway that has been 4
good road for SO many years has turn
ed this long valley into Z marvellous
panorama Of well cultivated fields and
happy homes. II anybody who visits
these two historical 6ghwAys fails to
become convinced that good roads are
. very real help in Agricultural de-
velopments there II something wrong
with his eyesight or his brains. These
facts are self-evident. Southern
Good Roads Off December.
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