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Show ROADS PAY FOR THEMSELVES Department of Aarlculturs Collects Data Showing Land Values Increase In-crease With Improvements. The direct effect that changing bad roads Into good roads has upon lund value and the general economic welfare wel-fare of a community la shown In several sev-eral concrete Illustrations gathered by the United States department of agriculture. agri-culture. Tbe department haa Just Issued Is-sued a statement on the subject, baited upon a mass or information gathered by the office of public roads, which Is making a special study or the economic effect of road Improvement In the country. According to data gathered, where good roads replace bad ones, the values of farm lands bordering on tbe roads Increase to such an extent that the cost of road Improvement is equalized, If not exceeded. ex-ceeded. Tbe geenral land values, aa well as farm values, show marked advances, ad-vances, following the improvement of roads. Among the Illustrations cited by the department are the following: In Lee county, Virginia, a farmer owued 100 acres between Ken Hur and Jonesvllle, which be offered to sell for ll.eOO. In 11)08 this road waa Improved, and although the farmer fought the Improvement, he has since refused $3,000 for his farm. Along this same road a tract of 188 acres was supposed to have been sold for $6,000. The purchaser refused the contract, however, and the owner threatened to sue him. After the road Improvement, and without any Improvement upon the land, tbe same farm was sold to the original purchaser pur-chaser for $9,000. In Jackson county, Alabama, the people voted a bond Issue of $250,000 for road Improvement and improved 24 per cent, of the roads. The census cen-sus of 1900 gives the value or all farm lands In Jackson county at $5 90 per sere. Tbe selling value at that time was from $6 to $15 per acre. Tbe cen-us cen-us of 1910 places the value or all farm lands In Jackson county at $9.79 t per acre, and the selling price Is now $15 to $35 per acre. Actual figures of increased value following road Improvement Im-provement are shown. Aa tbe roads In no way affect soil fertility or quality of the farm, advances ad-vances are due essentially to tho do-crease do-crease In tbe cost of hauling produce to market or shipping points. Farms are now regarded as plants for the business or farming, and any reduction reduc-tion In their profits through unnecessarily unneces-sarily heavy costs for hauling on bad roads naturally reduces their capitalisation capitalis-ation Into values. With reduced costs for hauling profits are Increased, with the result that the farm plant shows satisfactory earnings on a higher capital cap-ital value. Tbe automobile, also, has begun to be an Important factor in Increasing rural values where good roads are introduced. in-troduced. Immigration Is particularly marked where road conditions are favorable; lu fact, the figures of tbe department seem to Indicate that good roads Indirectly Indi-rectly Increase tbe demand for rural property; and tbe price of farm land, tike that of any commodity, is ruled by the relation between demand awl supply. Auto and Good Roads. The auto has come to stay and there la no use fighting against It or trying to penalize the owners for destroying country roads. There Is no doubt that an auto will wear out a dirt road quicker than a team carrying $.000 pounds, and while tbe latter are penalized pe-nalized In some states, all efforts to give the same medicine to the owners of autos have failed. Tbe only remedy is to build roads that will stand the wear and tear of heavy wagons, autoa and anything else and then take the penalty off everything. Duty of People. The making of Rood roads Is one of the most Important duties of the American people and their prompt repair and careful maintenance la essential. es-sential. There Is probably no subject sub-ject lo which the progressive farmer Is more deeply Interested than tbat of having roads connecting him with bis market over which be may be able to haul greatest possible load. Good roads, like all other good things, are expensive to build and of too much value to be neglected. Good Roads. The making of good roads Is one of the most Important duties of tbe Amelcan people and their prompt repair and careful maintenance Is essential. There la probably no subject sub-ject In which the progressive farmer Is more deeply Interested than tbat of having roads connecting him with bis markets over which be may be able to haul the greatest possible load. Good roads, like all other good things, are too expensive to build and of too much value to be neglected. Time te Drag a Read. If the traffic la very light, a good time to drag tbe road Is Immediately after a rain. However, for ordinary traffic, tbe beat time to drag Is when the mud will not stJck to the drag but will slide along toe edge, the drag taking a slice of carta off the high I places and eitaa the small depree I aio&A. I |
