The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1917-02-09
THE CUB SAYS
Investors as Road Builders

The taxpayer is no longer the sole
arbiter of road building, for after he
has decided to spend his money on
road improvements he is now inclined
to ask the investor to carry part Of
the burden. The opinion he often
holds is expressed by d. w. Norris,
as follows:
"If we had waited for our rail
roads to be built out of one years
freight rates we would never have
had them Investors build our rail-
roads for us when they invest in
bonds and stocks. They anticipate
earnings from the road for so years
and the public has the railroads to
use while it pays the investors back
a little each year in the freight tax
which the people pay to send their
hogs to market. Nobody ever tried
to put freight rates high enough to
pay for a railroad in one year. In
vestors should build our hard roads
and bridges for us. by buying county
bonds. We could then have the roads
to use while our regular taxes were
used to pay the investors back. So
long as we wait for one years taxes
to grow large enough to build long
time road we will keep on boosting
our taxes without having the road
to USE" r@
Why the Farmer Wishes Better
Roads
In the prosperous agricultural sec
lions the average farmer is now be-
lever in road improvements, altho
10 years ago he was opposed to
them. The change in opinion is
doubtless due in some measure to
the growing conviction that good
road is useful in business way, for
hauling, but there is now much
stronger reason for the farmers in
terest in highway betterments. Take
Iowa, for. instance. The latest regis
tration figures show that there are
1857 automobiles in that state, or
one for every Is inhabitants. There
is no large city in the state and no
center of great wealth, so the newt
able conclusion is that the farmers
of the state own most Of these auto
mobiles. 1t was not so many years
ago that these farmers opposed road
building as being of value only to a
few rich owners of motor cars They
are now IN favor of such improve
ments, and it is fair inference that
the absence of good roads is what
convinced the agricultural population
of the value of real highways. The
farmer is like any other man in wish
ing to get the most out of life he
can, and the influence of mud and
ruts is particularly irksome to him II
he is a motOrist.
The Value of Good Roads to Persons
Not Living ON Them
Proposed road betterments are
sometimes opposed by owners oil
property not abutting on the sections
to be improved on the ground thai
it is unfair to improve at public ex
pense road passing the lands of 6
. few men and leave other roads ii
an unsatisfactory condition. Such OBJ
structionists assert that while they
must pay road taxes they receive NJ
benefits in return. Prof. B. K. Cogh
Ian, of the agricultural and mechani
cal college of Texas, has recently re
ported some observations in tina
state which are good answer tt
such claims. In one county wher'
gravel roads extend but miles from
town, farmers living beyond the i'm
proved roads haul wood during dr.!
weather to the ends of these road
and pile it there. When bad weathe
comes and it is impossible to worl
in the fields they haul this wood int,
town over the good roads withou
difficulty and thus utilize a part o
their time which would otherwise b.
largely wasted. One farmer uses TIVE
teams in hauling to the end of thu
improved road, where one team il
unhitched and left with friend ant
the other team used to draw the loat
into town. In another case, where
the farmer formerly spent two day.
in hauling single load to market
the construction of a good road fol
about half of the distance enabled
him to make a material saving. HI
uses two wagons, each with TIVE
teams which haul the loads in one
day to the end of the good road. The
next morning all the load is put or
one wagon which goes to town witt