The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-10-11
The NEED OF GOOD ROADS
4 VALUABLE AND INTERESTING ADDRESS
BY PR0fESsORI. A. HOLMES.
Delivered Before The Wautauga Club Last Night.
Good Rolds Also utely Necessary for
the Progress of the State.

The vital Importance of good roads
for North Carolina is SO manifest tlat
the leading public men are giving the
matter great deal of thought and at
tention.
The Watauga Club Of this city is an
organization that is Il moving spirit III
this direction, and last night, ut thelr
invitation. Prof. j. A. Holmes, OF the
State University, delivered an address
at the Park Hotel on the subject CT
Good Public Roads" Quite number
of the members of the club and promi-
nent men of the city were present.
Prof. Holmes spoke of the difficulty
to get the average North Carolina cltl-
zen interested in the question of good
roads. They want good roads, but they
are not willing to tax themselves to
build them The tax question is the
great trouble.
He spoke of the Mecklenburg county
roads and the great opposition to the
fax when the system was inaugurated,
but now since the people have seen the
great benefit to the county, resulting
frem the good roads, they all favor the
system.
He spoke of the necessity of having
the road funds and work under the SUI
peryison of trained men, and how he
was panied to see our limited funds
wasted in some instances by ignorant,
unframed county officials.
The people are beginning to give
thought to good roads. and though
there is much cropping in the dark. good
results must be expected Good roads
are costly. but bad reads cost more.
He said the turnpike roads were good
roads, but that they were a thing of the
past. The macadamized road built and
kept mp by public taxation was the road
needed.
Some may think, he said, that it IS
impossible TO build these roads by pub
lie taxation, but how can the people Of
the State afford to continue the bad
roads-they must take one horn of the
dilemma. and surely to tax themselves
for good roads is far preferable.
Bad roads interfere with the transpor-
taton OF products of the agriculturists,
keep down the value Of property, retard
the social and intellectual conditions
and in many ways interfere with the
growth and prosperity of our rural dis
tricts. Bad roads are an Indirect tax
and are costing the State S5,0OO,00O an
nually in the wear and tear of vehicles,
STOCK, etc.
Twenty-thPee counties of the State
have adopted the road tax, and he stat
ed that the general concensus of opinion
was that the roads should be built and
maintained by public taxation.
He knew public prejudice was against
public Indebtedness, but then it was I'M
reasonable as large part of the worlds
business was conducted in that way.
This question of good roads means
progress. The State must have them or
| it viii go backward.
While the larger and more wealthy
counties could afford these roads, the
cry comes from the poorer counties that
they cannot afford them. He claimed
that they could do their part and at any
rate they could not afford to not i'm
prove their roads to the best of their
ability, or from poor they would be-
come poorer. The people of the State
must understand that no county is too
poor.
He spoke of the necessity of intelligent
supervision and the relocating of many
| roads.
After the address, which was a most
| interesting and valuable one. Prof.
| Holmes showed number of steroptican
views Of good and bad roads in the State
| and views Of good roads in Europe.