Arizona republican., 1920-12-14
HOW PAVED ROADS CAUSE INCREASE
 OF LAND VALUES
T. s. Governments Official Figures Show Rise In Farm Valuation Directly Follows Paving Highways in every city.

The following facts, demonstrating the increase in land values caused by paved roads, and based on official fig ures of the United States government, have been compiled by Charles A. Pope of Phoenix. warm advocate and sup porter of the completion of the good roads program:
 By Charles A Pope
 One of the most important factors that should impel the taxpayers of Maricopa county to vote YES for the county highway bonds on Dec. 3r is the fact that paved roads always have been the direct means of increasing the value of properties in general and Of lands in particular.
 Location in relation to population and accessibility to market is of as great importance in determining the value of farm lands as is the actual productivity of the soil. The farm near the market is worth more than one equally as good far from it's market.
 Good Roads Lessens Miles
 But actual distance does not de- termine location value. A more correct basis for comparison would be to use time consumed rather than distance covered. One farm, 10 miles from it's market, but located on paved road, is nearer to it's market in point of time than another farm only four miles from its market but separated from 1t by impossible clay hills or sandy stretches of unimproved road.
 In a study If 650 farms in Johnson county, Missouri, the Missouri agricul- tural experiment. station found that the T9 farms within two miles of their market had an average value of $7S.7C per acre and that the 1S3 farms located ..-, averaged $70.20 per acre. The 12( farms that were from four to six miles from market had an average value oi s60.s0, while 113 farms from six tC eight miles away averaged $58.20 There were 149 farms more than eight miles distant and these averaged $55.9C per acre.
 This sort of rating may be repre- sentative in a territory having similar soil condition and the same kind O. roads, but mileage distanse should b' changed to time distance where on' locality has paved roads and the othel unimproved roads. Instead of rating farm so many miles from town. i would be more just to rate 1t so man. minutes from town.
 Distance no Drawback
 Distance from the market has n' drawbacks except as 1t affects time ani expense of marketing. The value of farm depends On it's money makin possibilities. If 1t costs three or fou times more to market products iron one farm than from another, that farr has not the earning capacity of tn other and is therefore, not as valuable In a certain county in Tennessee, on bale of cotton was an average load fc a two-horse team before the road were improved. After improved road were built, 12 bales were not an un common load. thereby increasing tn earning boyer of the teams 12 time The farmers In this county were not fled of a sudden rise of $4 per bale the price of cotton. To the farmer living upon uninproved roads the ris in price meant a profit of only $4 pc load, but to the farmers living on th improved roads, it meant a profit s4s per load. Will anyone deny ths the good road has increased the valr of these farms?
 Prior to any road improvement one county In Alabama, the averae price of land was from $6 to- $15 p' acre. After 24 per cent of the roaC were improved the average value II creased to SIS and $2O per acre. Tn instance is representative of thousand of others where farm values ha' Jumped when good roads were built
 Increases Earning Power
 The increased earning power of u farm, the assurance that all produ' can be marketed when the demand greatest, that none will spoil on tl ground for lack of transportation facil ties and that the cost of marketing reduced many fold-these are the re- sons for the Increased value of farr on improved roads. And those i creases are often very much great han the farmers proportion of t cost of the road improvement. the CO tinued advantages of the good cad b ing absolute profit.
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