The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-11
TmE MERIDIAN RoAD.
Reasons why It should he Given
Preference in Road Improvement

Preference In Road Improvement
Editor Morning News: Discussion as to
the real needs Of the county in the mat
ter of improved roads must result i'm good.
We need in this county not only better
roads. but more of them. Our geogra phical
position is peculiar Savannah. a sea port.
is located in a corner, water behind her.
and the roads leading to the outside world
radiating from her like the section Of a
wheel, with the city as the hub The far
Their you 90 away from the city the farther
apart become the roads. There are por-
tions of the county from four to five miles
from the city that are wild in their lone
illness, because they are 50 far away from
public roads. There are large tracts of
hundreds of acres without road front
age, and so inaccessible, on account OF the
circuitous route by which they are reached
that they are almost Valueless. They are
not cultivated, and bring 40 revenue to
their owners and very little to the state
and county. Such places exist, and are
an unknown country to our venerable ia
theirs, the county commissioners. IF there
We're good direct roads from the city
to these lands. would it be
an extraordinary thing for them
to be sought after by settlers. and increase
ury of the county? Chatham county en-
joys, justly, the distinction Of having
the worse roads in the state, and posi-
bly, in the south. II is to be hoped that
sadly behind the times in this matter, as
well as in many others. OF the tremen-
dous amount raised by city and county
from the taxpayers there is an exceeding
ly meager showing of permanent improve
ments or betterments. There is but lit
tie done with the taxpayers money to-
ward the Improvement or beautfying or
the city and county by which population
may be invited or values enhanced.
However, something is being done now
in the line OF road improvement. We are
feeling quite proud over less than one
mile of improved road, for this we are
grateful, and rejoice in the hope of more
being done in the near future.
The Ogeechee road has been greatly inn
proved and those who read this who
have not tried the new drive are behind
the times, and have missed a real treat.
This road is a very important one TO Sa-
vannah, and the beneficial effects upon
the lands abutting thereon from the ROAD
Improvement is already apparent, ana
will be seen every month in the future.
This win soon become the great pleasure
drive of the city, and truck gardens, neat
cottages and florists green houses will
soon take the place of shanties and slaugh-
ter houses
should these BENEFITS be aendned, to one
portion of the county? BY no means, and
| have no idea that this viii be the case.
| would hate to think that the board of
county commissioners could be prejudiced
against any portion of the county or
against any road. / cannot believe that
recent newspaper reports reflect the SEN
timents of the entire board.
Why should not the Meridian road be
completed at once and 'hafdened-ether
with shell, ebert or stone, If not TO sixty
feet, then to twenty feet? 1t leads to sew
eral places-to settlements of taxpayers,
and the Ogeechee and Augusta roads to
nowhere. There are enough shrimp,
crabs, fish and oysters brought to Savar-
nah from the. district extending from
Bona Bella to Montgomery to pay for four
times the produce brought over the Ogee-
chez road to market.
the permanent residents, not counting
summer residents, in the district of coast
mentioned, outnuInber twenty to one. those
of the entire county from the Louisville
road on the northwest to the MONTGOMERY
road on the southeast, representing ire
mendous territory. including that reached
by the Ogeechee road and that which can
not be made tributary to II by the widest
stretch Of the imagination, but which the
Ogeechee is given the benefit of for the
sake of comparison.
In the coast district. there are valuable
truck and fruit farms, diaries, oyster and
f1sh industries, while in the Ogeechee dis
trict there are hundreds of acres of land
uncultivated, and not producing dollar S
worth for the support of the people
Chatham county owns about thirteen
hundred acres of land, through which te
Meridian road passes. Part of this is de-
voted to the convict camp and a part to
the poor farm portion has been dedicat-
ed as a park, leaving. perhaps six hundred
acres, lying idle, which some one seems to
think should not be made valuable to the
county. Is not that a curious position to
Don't improve my land and make il val
liable, for it is not for saler' Is this the
new theory in political economy?
Why is 1t not for sale? Has the county
become land Spectator? The object.
drainage, for which the land was bought
has been accomplished. If there are 600
acres of land not needed for county pur-
poses, and the land is worth S25 per acre,
there Is $4,000 of the tax payers money
that is not being properly cared for. At
six per cent per annum 1t amounts to a
loss of interest of $500. If the land was
in private hands, 1t would be improved
and if taxed only at the rate of $l5 per
acre it would produce at least Sl0O in
taxes, which added to the $500 make
$1,000 wasted. If the land was sold
for $4,000, that much less tax need be
raised, or that much more money spent
on the roads.
The Meridian road is needed by the large
stretch of county from E3una Bella to
Montgomery. 1t would benefit that large
section to which hundreds of our citizens
resort in summer. and from which hun
dreds more make living the year round
The commissioners are on record as favor
ing shorter and more direct road to
these points, the public want it,
If the people who pay the taxes desire
an Improvement would it not add to the
popularity of the board to carry out the
wishes of those who elected them?
r. r. o.