The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1920-10-29

capacity, emulate them.
Citizens of Idaho, your community
does not end with the residence of
the voter in your city, district or
county elections, who lives farthest
from the center of the town, the dis
tricts or the county, as the case may |
be. The limits of your community |
are the points on each road where !
people going to market turn and drive |
away from your particular commun- |
ity or town instead OF turning and |
driving toward it. Those limits will |
be extended or shortened as your |
community serves or fails to serve the |
interests of the farmer and as you |
are able to interest the farmers in the |
, affairs of your community.
The state highway bond issue for /
two million dollars lays the founda-
ton for an adequate highway pro-
gram Our present rude roads cry
out need. Poorly built, as many |
of them are, they express mans need |
of contact with man. In Indiana the |
cooperative cost of $500 miles of
newly resignated state and federal
roads will be approximately 81 per
acre. The benefits will be $40 to $50
per acre on the selling history of its
twenty-five million acres of produc-
tive farm lands. I believe it is fair |
to say that the productiveness of the
Idaho lands will more than equal the
example of Indiana. No discovery,
no invention, no creation of human
genius offers such possibilities to
mankind as one that facilitates trans
launched the Clermont on the Hudson
river he little dreamed he had dis
covered those new worlds for which
Alexander sighed in vain, that he
might conquer them. When Stephen
son gave to mankind the locomotive,
he foresaw in that, that he had found
ed an arrow of conquest to make the
empire of Napoleon seem neglig- |
IDLE.
The commonwealth of Massachu- |
sets, when it was confronted with |
the problem of the abandoned farm, |
organized the farm bureau to get |
settlers on these idle lands, it soon |
found out the real reason why the |
farmers deserted these fertile lands. |
The answer was, roads" which were |
in such condition that it was impos-
sible to market the crops at z profit. |
An investigation carried on by the |
United States department of agri-
culture showed that the cost of haul
ing in wagons per ton mile on good |
highways, as compared with motor
truck haulage, to be as follows:
Wagon. Truck.
wheat sue l5c
SOrn .............. .ooc loc
NoItoh ..:.....'.. voc Aoc
These figures merely demonstrate
that with the advent of good roads
transportation facilities can keep pace
with the highways, consequently re-
duce the cost of moving the products
to the market; thereby insuring bet
ter profit for the producer.
We read much these days about
how the imports from Europe and
other countries have knocked the bot
tom out of prices. This is but the
idle chatter Of politicians for the rec
ords of the United States custom de-
partment show that the imports to
ing January and February 1920,
amounted to wo hundred nineteen mil
lion dollars, whereas the exports from
the United States to Europe amounted
to eight hundred fifty-three million
dollars, or an excess of six hundred
thirty-four million dollars. raise
this point only to emphasize the fact
that the building of good roads is an
investment and that it pays dividend.
The day of small provincialism is
gone lit belongs to the age of mud
roads," witchcraft and slavery AS
the means of transportation are i'm
proved, highways, in proportion to
the Improvement made, cease to be II
local and become semi-national
Is there any reason why the tour
ist traffic of the east should not be
diverted to the scenic wonders of
Idaho, the Gem of the mountains"
the state we love, where they may
behond the wonderful crops grown
on Idaho's fertile soil; that they too
may be converted and become citi-
zens and enthusiastic boosters for
the great commonwealth of Idaho.
A consultation of the last map pre-
pared by the director of highways
presents to the thinking person, three
elements that are fundamental.
!. That the highways, present and
are laid out along those
lines which the physical features of
he state have fixed as the easiest lines
Of communication.
2. That the great belts of wealth
which odr state possesses, are each
reversed by one or more highways.