The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-05

the Syracuse Board of Trade on
Nov, ooh. We take some extracts
Of the speech from the Buffalo News
Of Nov. 21st:
| think that everyone is prepared
to grant the value OF good roads to
the country at large, since it is quite
natural to anyone to think of various
things that benefit mankind in gen
eral. even though he may not take
the pains 10 come down to the par
tlcular way in which they affect him
personally.
The influence Of good roads to-
ward the development and increase
ia value Of the agricultural regions
will hardly e questioned.
The lNantagcs OF improvements
are not confined to the proprictors or
to those Lying Immediately upon
any road but are shared by all wao
avail themselves of the Increased
facilities.
Agriculture is both directly and
indirectly dependent, in 4 great de
gree upon good roads for Its sue,
cess and rewards
Directly, SIS these roads carry the
produ tion of the fields TO the mar
ket, and bring to them IN return
their bulky and welghty materials,
at cost of labor which grows less
as the roads become better.
Indirectly, as the cities and towns
whose dense population and manu-
featuring industry make them the
best markets for farming produce
are enabled to grow acd TO extend
themselves indefinitely, by roads
alone, which snpply the place of
rivers to the banks Of which these
great towns would otherwise be
necessarily confined.
While, therefore, 1t might be an
inexcd sable waste OF money to con
struct a costly road to connect two
small towns which had little inter
course, it is equally wasteful. and is
a much more frequent shortsighted~
ness of ccOaomY, to leave uninproy~
ed. and almost in q state of nature
the COMMUNICATIONS between a great
city and the interior re.ioA from
which Its daily sastenance is drawn
and into which its own manufactures
aud merchar disc are conveyed.
The prosperity Of any city de-
pends largely upou the surrounding
country, and the letter the road
facilities, the faster the country Will
grow in population and the more
business tie city will have in sup
plying their wants.
Some Of the advantages thus to bt
attajre3 have not lon. since beej
well summed up in report of :
! con mlttee of the E0glish House O
Commons
"BY the improvement Of our road
every branch of our agricultural
commercial, and manufacturing in
dustry would be materially benefited
EVERY article brought into mar
ket would be diminished in price
and he number Of horses would b
SO much reduced thai, by these ant
other retrerchments, the expense o
millions Lpounis sterling would b.
annuity saved to the public,
The expense of repairing road
and the wear and tear Of carriage
and horses would be essentlaII
diminished, and thousands Of acres
the proluce Of which is now waste
in feeding unnecessary horses, woul,
be devoted to tie production Of foo
for man,
In short, tie public and privat
advantages which wOald result frou
etfectjng that great object, the i'm
pro7ement of our highways an
turnpikes, are incalculable; thou3
f from their being spread oyer a wild
T surface and avaj!a5le in variou
( ways, such advantages will not T.
5 so apparent as those derived ftor
I other sources of improvement Of
/ more restricted and less gener.
a naturt."
{ 1t is always economy to spcn
t enough to begin with to secure th
e best results , and it always costs les
7 in the long run.
Y a gooi road should cost more
5 bulli than a poor one. bat i: is ofte
}. the case that poor road costs 6
I much as good one would. Bl
;. even when a good one IS more e:
5 pensi,e, it will be easier aud CHEAP
t er 20 keep N good repair. and Wi
, last many wears Longer: while j