The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-02-08
A TALK AROUT GOOD ROADS
POINTS ABOUT THE NEW SOUTH
irof. Holmes Valuable Address to
tho Les islators-Iiis Lecture Com
mandeU L,olc Attention from q
Large Audience.

Large Audience.
The State, 9th inst
Tho Legislature OF South Carolina
last night listened to an enjoyable and
much njoycd common sense talk on
the subject of good roads. This theme
aid not occupy the entire time Of PrOf.
j. a. Holmes, of the University OF
North Carolina and State geOi0gist,
but he referred briefly TO many !ate mt
resources which should be developed,
fos, cred and maintained.
MIR. Holmes is native OF South Car
ollna, and though % young man, ls
among the foremost OF those who are
devoting time and brain to the uQ
building Of the South ia the develop.
ment OF natural riches. lie is Il self
made man, and the mUSL forCibic Illus
tratton Of the cost OF bad roads which
he used las. night WAS taken from his
O"n life. H. reciteu how when boy
ne had made three bales Of cotton TO
aid in obtaining an education. To haul
that cotton from Laurens to New berry
cost him $l5, ard consumed five days,
on account OF tho horrible road rs
much En eNpcCs. as n trip % New York
on the cars.
NJ. Holmes be gan bis lecture by re-
ferrinE to the splcn!id Ero"th OF
South Carulina in he: cotton mill in
duStries. anC illustrated with his stcrc'
opticOn tho water power OF pc!zor anu
OF the Columbia canal Rapidly run
ming from water power to water itself,
he gave good advice about the sink
ing OF wells so as to escape typhoid
germs.
Forestry was beautifully illustrated
and ably discussed. Tic showed on the
canvas the splendid pine forests Of
North Carolina IN their virgin state,
and deplorcd the fact that this great
source Of revenue was nearly extinct
on account OF forest tires. The loss t.
North Caroliua had been 81 900, 900 an
nually on this account. South Caro-
!lna's pine forests arc not so much
ruined. The causes OF this devas tation
arc sometimes Carcir>sn4.S and some
times cuSsodncss, aud in North Caro-.
lima tho forests havH b en- killed, the
seed gcrms destroyed and the land
made desert by these tires. He ap-
pealcd to the Legislature to throw safe
guards around the pinc forests and
Il 'SO to protect the gum and the cypress
in the swamps where the land !. being
sold to foreign lum bering corp )ratioDs
for ptttanCr.
He spoke OF the good which tho bu.
rcau OF geOl; gical survey was clfectiny
in causing diversity of farming ip
North Carolina, and said that the farm
crS were not complaining Of the cost CT
this bureau, for it had brought So
Geo 600 Of foreign capital into the
State and had helped the farmcrs to
practice economy. There is no use,
he said, for South Carolina to try TO
get appropriations from Congress- to
help IN such work uule the State does
something itself. Oar representatives.
in Congress are crying paternals.n IN
run mad" aud tho wCaSGrn and east
ern ricn are saying, 'givs Us appr0
priatlOns Tor our waste IiNccs and we
will do something ourselves"
lie then came to the subject upon
which he was tc address the general
assembly by invitation--good roads.
He laid down the proposition that those
people who have not good roads are
paying q mud, sand and hill tax. u
ana for this they get no benefit. NJ
creature in the animal or vegeta ole
kingdom IS benefited by bud roads not
even tadp0lcs, for they die in dry
weather. From letters written to 10, OOO
farmers, he had been able to estimate
ltA
rolina $4,000, 900 yearly, and the cost
in South Carolina is half az great
With his steroopitcon he showed how
in other sections OF this country hills
were graded, and the roads made
smooth and lirm.
ln California convict labor is used TO
prepare the macadam at q cost of about
20 cents day, against Is cents in
North Carolina for free labor. H. suy.
gestcd that State rock crushing plant
could be Established at or in connection
With the South Carolina ponitcntiarv
and by convict labor the cost reduced
to minimum. The counties could ar
range with the railroads for q nominal
rate oi Transportation. The poorer
counties might say that it was yerv
well Tor Grcenville, Spartanburg An.
ucrs0n, etc, to undertake this work,
hut they themselves could not. Prof
ilosmcs sad there was as much com.
mon sense In that statement IA there
"Ould b. in the plant Of q country
merchant that he could not keep his
store open because he was not able TO
90 as much business as wholesale
store in Columbia.
lie advised moderation and common
sense in the undertaking. Some sec.
IONS 40 not need as much expense rs
)thers. lie then comp!imeuted the
'oads OF Richland County leading out
'f Columbia. The county supervisor
nad accomplished, SO easily that he
lardly realized tho value Of his work,
,he building Of roads that are as easily
Travelled as those celebrated roads of
County, North Carolina,
and at cost Of 800 per mile, while tnc
latter had expended $3 900 o miie. He
urged the Legislature to advise their
people to experiment with sand and
clay, mixed to the proper consistency.
lie could give no formula as to the
aS clay differs in the sew.
eral sections OF the State. But ordi.
narlly sand road for basis, with q
surface Of four inches OF clay, is the
proper consistency.
In the laying Of macadam he urged
system. The >ubstrata OF larger rock
should be carefully packed, and it is
economy to have heavy rollers. Each
upper stratum should be packed on
carefully.
Throughout his talk he showed the
eXasperating difficulties and actual ex-