Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1894-07-26
GEN. ROY STONES ADDRESS
HIS TEXr ROAD IMPROVE.
MENT.
The special Agent of AgrfCul'u-
raj Department Gives Hun
comb. the Rene ii <, of Ills KuONl-
edge OF the Question


cOmbs the Rene ii of Ills Kuowl-
edge OF the question
In his address before the good roads
meeting in the court house Yesterday
afternoon, Get. Roy Stone, special
agent and engineer of the Agricultural
department, said the matter of road III
quiry was a new departure for the gov
ernmcnt and he frequently had to cx-
plain it. lie had found some people who
were Jealous and thought the road
question a private one for their States
On the other hand hr found mauy who
were anxious to learn all they could
about good road building and take ad-
vantage of the experience gained by
others. "a few years ago. Gen.
Stone continued. "Mr. Blaine, thea
Secretary Of State, directed the
foreign consuls to procure Informal
tion on the roads of foreign countries
This they did and SO complete and inter
esting were the reports andso great was
the demand for them that Congress
could hardly have the supply kept up to
the demand. 1t is Just as important
that Maine knows what Georgia does
in the way of road building, and that
New Jersey knows what North Carolina
dos, as it is tor the United States to
know what is being done ia Switzerland.
We succeeded in getting Il small appro-
priation to authorize The department to
inquire as to the road improvement
question of the different States. This
appropriation became available last
July, but Secretary Morton was slow to
take action. In October was APP
pointed; since then Mr. Morton has
become very much Interested, and the
people have also shown great deal OF
interest. Mr. Morton linds everywhere
such approval from the people and the
press that he has askcl another apprO-
priatlon for the conduct of the bureau
and by next wear we will get the matter
well in hand.
1.-THE whole subject Of road impruv.-
mcnt is practically a mystery to most OF
the people of the United States. We find
that there is a great deal OF new road
building going on, IN which various
methods are employed. In some coutl-
ties the authorities have been borrowing
money to carry on he work. III Others
c nyict labor is us d and in still Others
State aid is given. In New Jersey State
aid is given in money, while the locali-
ties desiring improved roads give a cct-
tain proportion to the cost lcnnS Iva
MIA has Highway commi' sion that h IS
approved the giving ot State aid to the
cxtcnt of 81 900, 900. and New York viii
no doubt be on the list of Stae aid
States next year. With an anprnprla
tion of $75 900 in New Jersey 60 mil $
OF road have been built The cost tllcr
has been high because of the distance
which the material had to be hauled.
We have found that The cost ot macad-
amized roads is not AS much as has been
thought. In Kentucky they are building
) roads 16 feet wide tor $1,000 or $500
mile, and in Georgia tor 1920 d mi'c,
while IN Canandaigua the cost is only
$500 or 5000.
Il have passed over roads when 1t te-
quircd two horses to draw my buggy,
and later on the improved roads have
seen two horses dra wing ton. As YOU
arc situated here YOU have every blts--
ing the Almighty could give YOU and
yet, am told, are cursed in winter Win
almost as bad roads as can b. found
anywhere. The only complaint have
heard of Ashevi'e was concerning the
roads. Yet have never been here and
don't want to slandcr your psople. Send
men who do not believe IN improved
roads to those localities where the I'M
provcmcnts have been made and they
will come back missionaries tor good
roads.
"Thcrc is no reason why you shoulG
not have $50 or 200 miles of good road.
in Buncombc. In coming here met "
II. Baldwin, vice president of the South
crn Railway company, and he told mt
that the railroad was just as much in
tcrestld as were the citizens in the i'm
provcmcnt of the roads. think very
reasonable rates could be made, there
fore, for the transportation of limcston,
from Hot Springs. There is plcnty o
suitable stone here for the sub,tructurc
but the top three inches should b, o
the best stone that could he found. Til,
practical question is, What can you Dc
for roads, don't know whethc1 20,
could rely upon vote for issuing bonds
unless the people are better educated OF
the subject than Il cy were III New Norl
or Michigan. II you can get them up tt
this, you will find that the roadimprove
mcnts will increase taxablys, but vii
diminish the tax rate. The cities shoul,
be willing to assist in this Improvement
because the elect of bad roads is tcl
more by the city people than by tn
farmer, because the latter is able to liv
at home in bad weather, while the cite
depend upon him i'll great measure. Yo,
have in Ashevi,le SO large a proportion
OF the population of the county that tn
city people would pay their full share
bonds were voted.
"Thc advantages for building road
here are greater than i'll the North an
=. Northwest. You have no heavy frost
. and can work all winter, labor is cheaper
and the beds of the roads need not b
made az deep on account OF the ubsenc
OF the heavy frosts. You should have
State Highway commission. There
such a commission in Massachusetts
~ which has the different materials IL
-" roads tested, visits every county eac
season, and is authorized to lay out CT
tain county roads, You are very iortl
nate in having Board of Commission
n crs and Board OF Magistrates. 1t is
u sort Of Legislature and anything
would say would have great we'gl
with the State Legislature. Should Il
State give aid in the matter by the usc
convicts to quarry the stone, the cost
quarrying would be only about sew.
cents cubic yard Then, | believe, vel
reasonable terms for transportatic
could be made with the railroads, I
that you cou d get the stone deliver,
here for about 40 cents cubic var
You will find that roads are being bvi
generally nine feet wide, with an ear
road alongside. The latter is a bctt
road perhaps nine months i'll the yc
and saves a great deal of wear and te
of the macadam. Your roads would
u more expensive than in some scetio
| ..r Al. "a. IL