The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1923-02-22
The Silver State:

Editor, The Silver State:
A number of years ago while
taking a joyride in the state OF
New Jersey noticed a large mum.
Der of farms abandoned for farm.
ing purposes. The great number
excited my interest, especially al
that state had a splendid system OF
improved highways and the farms
were within easy trucking distance
of New York, the greatest market
in the hunted States.
One day while filing the tank
with gas said to the elderly SER
vice man, what is the reason for
all those idle farms?" His reply
was, "The high (accent on the
high) way tax is SO Id high
the farmers can't see over it."
Going into a state to make a
trifiing purchase l asked an old
man if he had lived there long and
ne said, "Al my life." I then said
to him, II have driven by twenty
five acres of land that used to be
farmed, this forenoon. Here are
the best roads in the United States
and the biggest market close by,
why are they idle?" "Well," he
said, "a good many of the farmers
had children and they could not
pay the taxes and educate their
children so they went to the cities
and got jobs" My next question
was, ARE the farms sold for taxes?"
"A good many of them are and
some of them keep the taxes up
hoping to pull out something some
day." Another question. "Are YOU
buying in any Of them?" 81 bought
in two or three. Took one in a
short time ago. The fellow that
owned it sold me the deed for a
hundred" Once more asked a
question. what is the effect of
this on the mercantile trader" His
reply was: Folks can't pay taxes
and buy goods with the same money.
Those that moved away, we lost the
trade entirely. 1t was bad all
around"
At the next town l made more
inquiries to verify what had been
told me and received similar re-
plies and again at the second town.
l believe altogether that l rode by
more than one hundred thousand
acres Of land which had formerly
been farmed and on which no crops
were raised at that time.
The central part of Long Island
and the north shore has fine farm
ing land. l made no INQUIRIES here
and do not know what sent the
farmers to the city.
We had been at war nearly two
years when l made the trip from
New York City to Winnemucca.
All of the macademized roads and
other surfaced roads were in poor
condition, as no repairs had been
made in two years, and some of
them were in an extremely bad
condition. 1t was simply one chuck
hole after another and four or five
miles an hour was all we could
make. Mile after. mile it would
average chuck hole every four
feet. The fiat in front Of Beowawa
was no worse. With the exception
OF new concrete roads for short
stretches the best roads we found
were natural dirt roads in western
Kansas. Iowa was not bad, as the
rounded dirt roads had been
scraped, and next to western Kan
sas were the best roads we found.
In many towns and villages |
asked the effect of autos and good
roads on the merchants and the
replies showed that the larger
towns gained and the smaller places
suffered and l received the same in
formation in northern New York.
One merchant saying, at builds up
the cities and kills off the villages"
What will be the effect upon the
merchants of Winnemucca by this
stupenduous tax for highways.
Quoting one Of the merchants with
whom l talked, Folks can't paw
taxes and buy goods with the same
money" The merchants of New
Jersey found their trade diminished
viii ranchers drive to Reno to
trade? With a good Victory high
way they can drive down one day.
shop the second day, and drive
home the third day, save money
enough to more than pay their ex-
penses, have a bigger assortment to
select from and an outing in the
bargain. Will they go? 1t is an
easy guess.