OCR Text |
Show False Road Economy Improved roads ,the Department of Agriculture reminds tho public ,are not luxuries . "For the movement of every vehicle over a road there is a certain cost .which is less if the road be improved than if it e left in a state of nature. Logically, therefore the only hmit that should be placed on expenditure is the amount that can be saved in the vehicular operating costs. This amount, of course, depends upon the number of vehicles using the road. The country loses more ,in increased cost of operating oper-ating vehicles, by not improving roads than its costs to improve im-prove than. In other words, it pays for improved roads whether it has them or not ,and it pays less by having them than by not having- them." This is sound reasoning. Almost invariably improved roads are i'ot.nd to pay for themselves in added cheapness of transportation. They also pay in another way, by improving im-proving land values in the vicinity. Civilization depends on transportation more than anything any-thing else. Enlightenment depends on transportation. Economic Econ-omic progress depends on transportation. Comfort and social intercourse depend on it. Objecting to a good oad past one's door is like objecting to having a railroad in te town. Duly, roads are more important than railroads . |