The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-16
MUST HAVE RIGHTS OF WAY.
THE REASON NO WORK HAS BEEN
DONE ON THE MERIDIAN ROAD.

The Orders Passed by the Commits
siOners Providing for Work by the
COnvicts in Wet Weather-Rights
of Way, However, Were First to
De Secured to the Waters Road.
There Seems to Have Been "a Long
and Very Unnecessary Delay I'm Sc
curing These Rights of Wny-FOr
This Reason the COnvicts Are Los
ing Considerable Time in Wet
weather That Might BE Put In on
the Road.
The county convict forces IT seems, are
practically losing considerable val
liable time that might be
well put in on the Meridian
road under the recent orders passed by the
board ofcounty commissioners, if efforts
were made to secure the small remaining
portions of right of way for the road
from the northern boundary of the county
lands up to the Waters road.
The loss of time is due to the fact that
the convict forces cannot put in full time
on the drainage work during the rainy
weather, whereas they could work the full
time on this road where they would be out
of the water. Realizing the necessity ana
Importance of completing the road. sever
al of the commissioners last December
succeeded in having passed an order pro-
viding that during the rainy weather the
convict forces should be put to work on It,
Not a shovel full of dirt has ever been
thrown. nor a pick struck under that or
der.
Chairman Dale and Commissioner Chap
lin. who opposed the progress of the work,
succeeded in having inserted the provis-
ion that the convict forces should not be-
gin work on the road even during rainy
weather until all the rights OF way from
the northern boundary Of the county's land
to the Waters road had been secured The
completion of the road has been recon-
mended by every grand jury for two or
three years. and two or three grand juries
have recommended in the budget that
5000 be appropriated for IL.
1t was no doubt on the strength largely
of these continued recommendations that
the order referred to was passed in De-
cember. At the last meeting OF the COM
missioners an order was passed reitera-
ting the order of last December. Both
these orders, however, are stu inOpera-
tive, for the reason that small portion
of the right-of-way has not been secured.
The matter was placed by the commits
sioners in the hands of Chairman Chaplin
of the committee on roads and bridges,
and he was directed to look into the mat
ter of securing the rights-of-way. All of
! them have been secured from the north
ern boundary of the countys land to
the Waters road, with the exception of
| that through about nine small lots at
! Jonesville. Four of these small lots are
divided among different parties, while
I'VE of them belong to Mrs. c. Thorpe.
Mrs. Thorpe is understood to have given
her consent to the passing of the road
| through her property, and is ready to
make the county deeds to the property
needed, under an arrangement that has
been agreed upon. Why this land has
never been finally secured for the right
of-way of the Meridian road. is not ex-
| planned.
Rights-of-way through the other lots.
| It is understood, can be secured at NOM
! inal cost, and the county would then be
| in possession of the r1ghts-of-way for the
read all the way to the Waters road, and
the order for the working of the road in
rainy weather would become operative.
| Had the county engineer been able 20
begin work on the road when the order
was first passed last December, he is
confident he would have had it completed
| to the Waters road before now.
There are good many days now IN
which better and more profitable work can
be done on the road than in the canals,
| and if some attention were given to the
matter of securing the rights-of-way the
| building Of the road would no doubt be
hurried up.