Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-01-05
nee to the American farmer and
Is NOW 4 QUESTION Of
BACKING. lp TIL. FARM ,IS

Tie American farm will make good
IL IT. - posSinie. but are The city ana
state governments giving him square
deal IN letting him face this !ood
problem aloncI Isn't il up TO uS as
a. nation TO aid as much rs possible !;
Tn, farmer will Have his hands full!
in producing. The question OF dclir-
erinG the results OF his work 10 the
point OF con sumption or shipment; is
onr that ne mas no time 10 solve. The
Iarmcr IS not producing record crops
Tor hiss OWN ConSu!upiio but for as
the "oNernmcnt No matter how hard
he works he car ct boost the price.
Therefore il seems 10 me that III inn
proving the Highways over which ms
products must be hauled TO market, il
IS more tor our own good and the
good OF our allies and the hunia nifty
of the world in general that W" take
up this question OF good roads ana
highways and carry il out like We can
carry anything out If We PINT our
our ability behind it.
Russia anarchy j. due TO great
extent I" lack Of food. In Central Eu
rope conditions point TO a famine. The
German government has said that it's
people are destitute. Serbia and liou-
mania are exhausted for the lack OF
food: bulgaria Is starving: The agri-
cultural resources %: France and Eng
land are At a very low tide. Thc same
is said 10 be true OF Italy. and mind
yon This world wide crisis is start
ing at the very beginning of winter.
when every nations warehouses should
he hllGd with u food surpiy 10 last
through The nonproductive winter
months.
MUST MOVE ACTIVELY TO
KEEP rnE HIGHWAYS OPEN
90 all the communities that are GO
in" TO feel the cT.st OF poor roads
agricultural sections. Consider the
last two ycarS---ihc farmer has ra iScd.
hauled and shipped more produce than
~ any three or Tour days before. To
get This increased amount to the ship
pins point, ii mas been necessary for
To he employed. and whereas former
~ The average road carried dozen
vehicles per hour. il now has TO stand
up under four or 1--WE times that num-
Der, ana 'hIS is III the face of il scare
ity OF labor 10 keep the roads in good
condition. Heretofore the State has
employed men to patrol these main ar
l"rios I" repair deNrcsSions and hoicS
before they had grown 10 any serious
extent. Ey doing this the roads were
year after year Where state had no
such law he farmers and landowners
generally aid the work.
With Americas entrance In the war
this labor was turned into more es-
semtial lines of work
II Is incumbent ON every Commu-
NIFTY. especially those on the out ski rt s
/ OF agricultural districts. To see TO IL
I mat at least one highway is Kept open
/ inns winter so chat the farmer will
! have the least trouble in bringing his
I produce 10 market. Such IN open high
. way would insure each community re-
( ceiNins it's supplies and shipments
. from out OF town without unnecessary
| loss OF time. II would eliminate the
Z transportation uncertainty that has
made ,.d ne small community In The past
/ resemble those towns in the Arct &c
/ zone which are isolated from, one am
| DINER Tor months az a time.
Everybody seems to think that last
winter was an extremely severe one
ana won't happen again In a lifetime
Apparently from the lack OF enthu-
siasm over good roads they deem ii un.
necessary 10 plan for a second winter
liko II. To my mind this Is n matter
over which we have no control and