l6o AGRICULTURE OP MAINE. 



ADDRESS. 



By Lyman H. Nelson, Chairman Highway Commission. 



Probably no question relating to the development of our 

 country has received more general and widespread attention 

 than the improvement of highways. I venture to say that 

 even the tariff question with all its direct and indirect rami- 

 fications ; or 'the currency question, dealing as it does so direct- 

 ly with the business world, — that neither of these appeal to 

 such a multitude of people, appeal to the masses, to quite the 

 degree as does the subject of good roads. And especially is 

 this bound to b^ 'true wherever men are gathered together as 

 they are here in the interests of farming and farming products. 

 The question of road transportation has an immediate and 

 direct bearing upon your activities. Bad roads mean the dis- 

 tribution of your product within a less radius and at greater 

 expense than will be the case under better roads. No one will 

 challenge the statement that the cost of transportation is an 

 important factor in the cost of living, and that road conditions 

 are a large part of the cost of transportation. 



There is no need to argue at the present time the advantages 

 of better roads. It is quite as needless as it would be to argue 

 the benefits of general education. In each case, the gain is io 

 apparent as to require no argument at all. Briefly then, every- 

 one wants better roads. 



BOND ISSUE MANIA. 



In fact this subject has become almost a mania with some, 

 and I venture to predict that if the enthusiasm in this direction 

 is not soon tempered with prudence, this country and. every 

 municipality in it will :be overloaded and sunk, not in the mire 

 of bad roads but in the mire of good roads' debt. There are 

 thousands of people in this country today who are advocating 



