| Show The Prosperity of a State is Measured by bythe r. r the Condition of Its Public Highways I. I ALL that is needed to tv establish the fact that the prosperity of a state is J j measured by y the condition o of its public highways is IS a moments moment's consideration of the general conditions upon which the welfare of every civilized community j f depends Chief among these conditions are ready means of communication throughout all parts of the commonwealth commonwealth commonwealth common common- wealth and ample opportunities for its citizens to transport their their products to the best markets at a small expense during all seasons of the year We can readily see how a farm may may he the most p. p fertile in the land and its crops ever so i y fine and large yet the cost of getting these crops to market so great that it would pa pay better hetter to let the farm lie idle than to cultivate it The same is true of every other article df of f trade whether it be the manufactured product of a amill j mill or the rich ore of a mine if th the cost of transportation plus that of oi production production production pro pro- exceeds the market value there are no profits in the business And as asit asit asit it is he profits of its industries that establish the welfare of every state and andas as we have seen it is is only when t the e cost of transportation is a minimum that these profits can be a maximum it itis itis itis' itis is is- evident that material prosperity of a state stat is measured by the facilities it offers for transferring its products During the last fifty years it seems seem's seems that the pr prevailing vai ing idea throughout the United States has been that railroads would woul furnish furnish all aJI th these se fa facilities s and andas andas as as a a result result the ene energies g i s pf of the n nation t on and the he wealth o of its capitalists have be been n expended so lavishly in extending them that neither energy nor capital ha have have e b been en le left t for for the development of our public roads Numberless are th the resources uces that have been developed through ugh th the g growth of our rail railroads oads and almost beyond measure have they added to t the e nations nation's wealth but no nc mat matter er how perfect t these systems may be become th they y can never take the place of high high- ways The public highway way has always been the ideal system of transportation over short distances for it is available at all times and all points Its stops and starlings are not regulated by schedules schedules sched sched- ules and stations but yo you are free to togo toi i go and come at your own convenience It reaches pl places ces where the limited sidetracks sidetracks sidetracks side side- tracks of a railroad cannot go and it is used almost exclusively fo for local traffic It also offers means of healthful recreation recreation a- a tion and pleasure not to be found by riding on the cars and now that the bicycle is rapidly becoming an important important important tant factor in our civilization the highway highway highway high high- way is being turned into a common route of travel I It t is only necessary to turn to the latest reports of the road commissioners of the different states to see that the loudest economic cry throughout the country today is the one for better roads In the report from California it itis itis itis is stated that the industrial develop development men t of that state has ha nearly reached ed the limit possible with bad roads and that 1 if if it itis itis is to progress further it must have as as a basis the economic and systematic administration administration administration ad ad- ministration of high highway way affairs From these reports it is shown that the cost of hauling farm products a distance of often often often ten miles over our average roads is as much as the f freight eight charges for shipping shipping shipping ship ship- ping them four hundred miles With J good roads this expense expense could be re reduced re- re 2 d tp to at le e s one fourth this amount 1 L- L Some of th the states r rare i are are beg beginning l-i l g to to- C- C take hold of this q question estion in an an earnest earnest and systematic way and the r results results- t already accomplished are exceedingly gratifying As an illustration Santa Clara Count Coun County California may be cited It has within its its' boundary lines six hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred miles of first class roads As a a. result it has increased i in population and wealth Yealth from the in twenty-ninth twenty a list of seven fifty-seven counties to the fourth in inthe inthe inthe the la last t fifteen years and this this growth growth is generally attributed to the excellence of its roads Similar examples can be found in all parts parts' ot of th the co country and it is invariably the rule that our our most thriving communities are those good roads prevail What is it that contributes to tle prosperity of th the Fre Ere ich lh people today but their almost perfect public roads roads' And so it is and always h has s been with every civilized people The Roman Empire has left no gran grander er monument of its once un unrivaled rivaled power pOYer ar and d prosperity prosperity prosperity pros pros- than its m mighty highway |
