The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-09-25
GOOD ROADS
prr HUNDRED MEN, WHO
THNN'rAN BUSINESS, SAY WE
MUST HAVE THEM.

80
l..ce Which Assembled in Charlotte
s.otember1 II 13--NOrth Carolina Wax
I'm to the Road Question.
1unondence of the Progressive Farmer.
0OInLo1t three hundred delegates, rep
..orting many counties of the State,
"ore present when the State Good
noads Conference was called to order
~ Charlotte's beautiful City Hall at
,o.go Wednesday, Sept. 18th. DR.. r.
= Brevard, Mayor of Charlotte and
D.osident of the North Carolina Road
Imnrovement Association, called the
Conference to order, and welcomed it
n Charlotte in a neat speech, which
~os elouuently responded to by MI
las G. stevenson. of Wilmington, and
Wavor Patton, of Asheville.
Dr., Brevard is President of the Con
s.ranee: Prof. J. A. Holmes, secretary
and. c. Upton, of Salisbury, assistant
secretary.
After the organization and announce
ment of the programme the conference
adjourned, reassembling at 80 o'clock
and Immediately adjourned to visit
nsrts of the city and vicinity where
mad building and repairing are in
progress, being transported on electric
ears rendered by the city railway COM
nany. Charlotte leads in this work
and its inspection afforded much pleas,
ure and profit to the delegates. In
marrying rock for macadamizing it's
streets, the city has opened up a hole
large enough to contain the Capitol at
Raleigh and this quarry is right in the
heart of the city. The steam drills,
derricks and great rock crusher are all
worked by a 80 horse power boiler.
The delegates were also shown how the
steam roller tears up a rough street
and packs it down again smooth and
even.
At 8 o'clock the conference recon
vened and Hon. s. B. Alexander,
member of Congress from the Sixth
district, and the father of the Mecklen
burg road law, gave a history of the
law and synopsis of its provisions, ex-
planning and emphasizing its adapta
biIity to all parts of the State. He was
followed by Capt. ". E. Audrey, his
colleague in securing the enactment Of
the Mecklenburg law, who read an in
terestiDg paper on what have good
roads done for the farmers of Mecklen-
burg countyf' showing that the sgri
cultural interests of the county have
been immensely benefited. One horse
can haul as much as four formerly
could, and many thousands of dollars
worth Of farm products were put on the
market now that had no value before,
the advantages of the city r extended
to the country and along the lines of
the macadamized roads lands which q
dozen years ago could not be sold for
SIS per acre will now bring $75 to $3.50
per acre, but r not for sale at any
price. s. II. Hilton gave a history of
the working of convicts upon the Neck
lenburg highways, and how the county
had come by experience to build much
better roads now at much less cost
than when they began. Mr.. B. r. But
Ter, city engineer, read q valuable pa
per- on the cost of macadamizing streets
and highways in Charlotte, with some
Interesting facts relating to the ma
ehinery and technical description of
the road. He showed how the cost of
this work of improving the streets and
sidewalks has been greatly reduced by
having better machinery. Following
these papers, Prof. Holmes gave a ster-
eoptlcon exhibition of large pictures Of
the fine macadam roads to be found in
all parts of Europe, and also of the bad
roads in North Carolina. He also
showed Illustrations of the beautiful
scenery and the resources of North
carolina, emphasizing the fact that we
nave a great country, but we can
never develop it ourselves, o al we
attract the thrifty and intelligent peo-
people of other States and counties to
aid US until we have the good roads
such as these people have at their
homes.
thursday morning by s o'clock the
delegates assembled in front of the Cen
SaI Hotel, where the citizens Of Char
otte met them with carriages for along
utlVe over the country roads. The
whole process of building the best mod
an roads was seen, and all kinds of
ISchlnery were at work grading the
Old country roads; rolling the graded
surface; the farmers hauling rock off
uelr fields and cording it along the