Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-11-09
COST or GOOD ROADS
ADDS TO sELLlNG PRICE
OF TlLLA1LE LANDS

exact dollars and. cents effect on
county OF the improvement Of bat
roads, specialists OF the. office OF pub
lie roads and rural engineering VI the
department made economic surveys II
eight counties In each of the years
from 1910 to 1916. inclusive.
This study Of the Increase in the
values Of farm lands sirfythe eight coun-
ties reveals the rather interesting fac
that following the improvement of the
main market roads the increase in the
selling price of tiT,able farm lands
served by the roads has amounted tc
from one to three times the total cost
of the improvements. The increase in
values in those instances which were
recorded ranged from So per cent to &c
per cent in Spotsylvania county. Va;
from IS to ls4 in .Dnwiddie county,
Va; 70 to 80 in Lee county Va; 25 ia
100 in Wise county. Va: 3 to ia In
Franklin county. n Y; SO to 100 y
Dallas county. Ala; % to SO in Laud-
erdale county, Miss; and from so to
100 in Manale county, Fla The esti-
mates of increase were based for the
most part upon the territory within
distance of one mile on each side OF
the roads improved.
In Spotsylvania county a careful
record was made in 1910 Of 50 farms
located on the road selected for i'm
provement. OF the Z farms sold in
1912 the prices actually paid show In
creases of from 81 to 116 per cent over
), al, ho "a
after the roads were improved was
$2s.26 per acre. as compared with
S17.31 previous to the improvement.
In 1918 four transfers of farm land
were on the. basis of SSo.l1 per acre,
whereas the properties We're listed in
1910. at only 1889 per acre. 1t APP
pears that the 1,451 acres sold in 1914
increased in value s2s,500. or so per
cent. or from $24.4S to &44.10 per acre.
In Dinwiddie county. Va. the actual
price OF 43 farms sold or offered for
sale from 1909 to 1914 ranged in price
from 1888 to $43.74 per acre before the
roads were built, and from sa4.70 to
$3.50 per acre after the roads were
improved.
In Lee county, Va. study Of eight
tracts along the roads before and aft~s
indicated that these
properties increased about sg3 per
acre. or about 20 per cent.
In Wise county. Va. study of eight
farms located On roads
showed that they increased in value
from an average Of $500 per acre be-
fore Improvement to ssTe.44 after the
roads were improved. There were in
creases in valuation in other sections
Of from $50, 70 $40 or even. 500 per
acre. ,,,.. {
In Franklin county n Y. the figures
seem to siniicateEthat the change from
EARTH sandy, and ioam roads to- btu
minous macadam was followed by in
creases averaging $3.50 per acre. o,
about 3e.7 per cent.
In Dallas county, Ala. careful inyes-
legation seemed to indicate that road
each acre Of land within a half mile Of
improved roads. Tracts sold at from,
IS to $40 per acra we're sold-again after
road improvement at from SEQ to SIS
per acre. yJ5F
In sElanderdaIea county. Miss. the to-
tai assessed variation ef:'real property
outside of the city was s5,T5T.5fs. This
increased in 1914 after road improve-
,nent to s3,1ss,Soa. or 15.4 per cent? 10.
cal real estate men place the increase
in land values on account Of improved
roads az from % TO 50 per; cent
IN Manale county, Fla, careful
study Of sales and real estate records
indicated that the Improvement OF
reads has added from Is to 100 per
cent. or at least SIS per acre to the
selling price Of all lands within one
half mile of improved roads. This
would give total OF ssl1.o0o. or more
than twice the value of the bonds is
sued