Jasper County Democrat, Volume 14, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 August 1911 — Government Aid In Good Roads Work Would Help the Agriculturist [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Government Aid In Good Roads Work Would Help the Agriculturist

Transportation and Distribution Most Important Problems Farmers Have to Contend With

By Colonel JOHN JACOB ASTOR, Millionaire

CHE farmer is often the hard luck member of the community. He raises * his crops between the Scylla of drought or too much rain, on one hand, and the Charybdis of potato bugs, boll weevil and numerous dther pests, on the other. To learn that he receives only 46 per cent of the value of his goods is surprising, but that is doubtless the minimum. The two MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS of cost are transportation and distribution. THE FIRST INCLUDES HAULING HIS CROP TO THE NEAREST RAILROAD STATION OR BOAT LANDING, THE FREIGHT CHARGES AND UNLOADING AT ITS DESTINATION. THE SECOND

INCLUDES THE CHARGES OF THE MIDDLEMEN, WHICH PUT TOGETHER GO A GOOD WAY TOWARD MAINTAINING THE HIGH COST OF LIVING. Government aid in these matters might prove a BOOMERANG that would do more harm than good. It would necessitate an increase in the ALREADY LARGE NUMBER of officeholders, with all the UNDESIRABLE political accompaniments involved. Probably the government’s most EFFECTIVE AID would be in building SMOOTH AND HARD ROADS on which the farmer could move large loads in wet weather when unable to plow.