Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-08-18

''uu Hoico, RUS ana chuckS over
which you can carry only n half n
load on slowcsty time. a few days
ago the daily chart OF road conditions
around Richmond contained the fol-
lowing: Richmond to Charlottesville,
tair to Jockson, beyond Jackson i'm
possible. Richmond TO Old Point,
lair 10 New Kent. New Kent to Bar
Evansville impassable. Barharnsvillc to
Williamsburg fair. williamsburg to
Old Point good. Richmond TO Gooch-
land. fair to state Farm. impa ssa bl G
beyond. Now, II l need to drive to
carry load to Charlottesville or
Williamsburg or Goochland Court
rouse, what's the good Of few miles
of good road or road that Is fair II
l simply cunnot go the rest of the
way? Perhaps these objections will
be explained by some one here, and
IL they can show US that under exist
Ing conditions 1t is necessary TO pro-
ceed In this manner. then II IL up to
this association TO render all assist
ance possible to the highway COM
mission In having those conditions
changed, for while the Virginia Good
toads Association is not In any sense
the servant OF the commission there
should BIO cordial cooperation be-
tween them in whatever tends to
the common good. heart and soul
with them where VIC think they are
right, SO much for business on the
inside. Now let's think about tho
relation of good roads TO business on
the outside
Good Roads Bencdt Farmers.
Do good roads produce more busi-
ness and better business? Do they
mean moro money in the pockets OF
In
that greatest OF all industries upon
which we all depend, agriculture? In
my Judgment no class of men would
be so much benefited aB the great
host OF honest farmers say honest
farmers udviscdly. for farmers tel,
me all the crooks go to town and
honest men live in the country. Mny-
be SO. But how does he profit BY
good roads? lie can produce larger
and better crops. where u would
require four horses TO haul given
load TO market over bad roads two
viii take II over good one and
the other two can be blowing In oats,
laying by corn or breaking up the
watermelon patch. No good farmer
ever forgets the watermelon patch
Ii he does his hauling by truck. over
the good road, he can do Il in one
third OF the time and with half the
gasoline and oil. Isn't that money
in his pocket? Furthermore, when
the market rs right he can take his
goods In and sell them At top prices
He doesn't have to wait until next
week for the roads to dry out. by
which time the market has dropped.
lie gets the best price while the fell
low on the mud road waits and has
TO take what he can get. His truck
or wagon and harness will last him
twice az long. and they cost money
Big saving then to have good roads
But hear some OF my brother farm
crs say yes. J. can't deny these things.
they are true. but the taxes taxes
taxes. II there is one thing far
mcr does hate, IL is taxes. But wait
minute now. brother farmer. Did
you ever think just where these State
roads are built? Did you? In the
country. every mile OF them. Not
foot OF them in the city. but we
poor fellows who live in the city pay
more taxes to build roads in the
country than all the country people
combined. Did you ever think OF
that? Did you know it? Did you
know that of every dollar spent on
building country roads the country
people pay only II cents? Pretty
good bargain / think when you can
get a dollars worth of work done for
II cents. TO /. And did you ever
figure GU. just what your road tax
really was? 1t is put In your tax
returns as the onc-mill road tax.
We'll say you own farm worth sl0.-
600. Country folks are pretty good
at handling the assessors. and that
farm is probably assessed at $4,000.
and your road tax on Il $4,000 farm
would be just s3-not enough to
pay for busting" one pair of names
straining out OF fome old mud hole.
Good roads. too. mean improved
social conditions. Public intercourse
and visitation between families be-
come easier and more frequent. What
tends to make life in the country
more pleasant tends TO keep more
young men on the farms. That means
more production. more business and
better business. Far too many now
are leaving the country as producer
and coming to the cities where they
become consumers. and nine out of
ten are sadly disappointed when they
find ont what city life really means TO
them and the glamour of II all has
vanished. Ten miles to town or city
over good roads means nothing. You
can hop into your little roadster and
be there before l can walk three or
four blocks and catch n crowded