The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-02-09
THURSDAY, Feb. 8, 1888
THE PUBLIC ROADS.


The Greensboro Workman writing
on the all-impor:ant subject of the
country roads, has this to say:
We note with pleasure, that the
State Assembly OF Knights Of Labor,
which held its session here few days
since memorialized the Legislature,
asking for reform in the msner OF
working the roads, recommending
mixture of convict labor and taxation
in carrying out the design in question.
1t is fact that the major part of
our heavy hauling is done in the win
ter tinae, when by reason of rains and
freezes our roads are at their worst.
Estimating that the same teams can
draw twice rs much over good roads
rs over bad ones, for every day that
the driver and bis team are engaged in
hauling one day is lost. And the
loss is even greater, for the wear and
tear of wagon and team, which is
much increased, needs TO be counted.
The estimated rate for wagon and
team and driver here is $500 per day ;
but the man who hauls wood to town
and does heavy days work, receives
only 81 for two loads of wood. Now
where is the pay for the wood and the
labor of chopping it2 1t is easy to
see that it is no where. In this way
the farmers have been wasting their
substance" not in "riotous living
but in tine terrors of interminable mud.
They have really given away their
wood with all the labor of telling 1t
and chopping it into lengths. In the
foregoing no account is taken Of the
privation OF having to walk much OF
the way through the mud to tighten
the burden of the team, the slow gait
made necessary, and the detention on
the dismal way until the darkness has
made the picture still more horrible
We do not know the cost of turn
pixies, but it seems to us that an effort
should be made first to construct, say,
twenty miles of hard road, five miles
each in the four principal directions
from town, and then make herculean
effort to raise the means to pay the
cost. Besiege the Legislature for con-
vict labor, and it i'll no otherwise,
when the sum of all the usual resources
shall have been found inadequate, let
turnpike comp: MES be chartered and
IS Snl i,a fn
compensate for the outlay. You may
shrink from the bare contemplation Of
the turnpike, but our mud costs us
much more than turnpike. 1t IS a
cost to the country and town as well.
But there are some phases Of the case
not yet presented: No man who
hauls wood to town over our terrible
roads can afford to run a first class
wagon and team. 1t would perhaps
be out of the question to keep team
in decent order under such a system,
and the wear and tear of both team
and wagon must be considerable. But
This less cannot be determined. Good
roads are sort of never failing fore
runner of neat farm houses and we'll
kept premises, and they always have q
tendency that way. BY reason of the
fact that first-ClasS roads shorten the
time-apd that is the same as distance
to market, they enhance the price
Of land and Of the timber that grows
ON it.
Now in all the foregoing We have
made no mention OF the almost count
less miner considerations in favor Of
improved country thoroughfares, such
rs comfort and convenience to all
who take occasion 10 go from one
place to another in vehicles drawn by
horses. TO suppose that people COM
ing from other states where the roads
are good, will give fair prices for our
lands, which have no decent outlet by
highway, is to make a great mistake.
Let us unite in loud and persistent
demand for good roads.