The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-09-18
! GOOD ROADS NOTES, )
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Good Highways Needed.

AS the country pecoue" Woi
thickly settled the importance of good
roads is more fully realized. The
! rapid building up of cities and large
manufacturing towns has drawn so
heavily upon many of the country
towns that it has created an inequality
between the cities and country towns.
The latter cannot afford to keep their
roads in as good condition as the
others. Where there are few coun-
trv towns between two large cities or
large towns, there is constant COM
plant because the towns do not fur
nish good roads.
A large, hourishing town can build
good roads without very greatly in
creasing it's taxes, but a small country
town cannot make extensive repairs
on it's roads without raising taxes so
high that they will not only be bur-
densome to the farm ers, but will have
the effect of driving out what few men
of large means they may have living
temporarily with them. 1t is becom'
ing very serious question as to what
changes are required to secure better
roads. That our roads will be greatly
improved during the next decade,
there can be no doubt, because the
interests of the people demand it.
Where the money is to come from to
improve the roads in the country
towns with q scattered population is
a question to be settled. 1t is certain
that if the repairs are to be very ex-
tenslve, the money to make them
must come from outside-but if what
money is raised in the country towns
was more judiciously expended the
roads would be gradually improved.
If shaly rock can be found near tho
line of road it can be protitably used
in road making. 1t should be broken
up and pounded down SO as to make
an even and compact roadbed. Under
existing circumstances it is difficult
to find men who are adapted to the
business of road building, because to
build good road in the cheapest and
best manner is an art that compare
lively few men have learned. Itseems
highly desirable that the question OF
how to obtain good roads should be
taken into careful consideration by
the highest State authorities, and
plan should be adopted which shall
give US good public thoroughfares.-
American Agriculturist.
Improvements Under the Law OF 1893.
The annual report of State Enginee.
Bond, of New York. has just been filed
at Albany. The improvement of high.
ways under the provisions of the
Higbie- e-Armstrong act of 1898 consti.
tutes an important part of the duties
of the State Engineer and 10 one
which attracts much public interest.
The State has appropriated 100000
in all, with which to pay one-half the
cost of such roads as are improved I'm.
der the provision of the law. This
sum is small in proportion to the
amounts appropriated by the States
of Massachusetts and New Jersey, but
with it contracts have been made fou
twenty-five miles of improved high
ways, of which seven miles on four
roads have been finished and accepted
during theyear. Six and half miles
on one road is about finished, but is
not accepted, and eleven miles or six
roads are in progress, these roads be.
ing located in Erie, Monroe, Onon.
daga, Schnectady, Oneida, Rensselaer,
and Columbia Counties. Surveys
have also been made for 142 miles of
roads in fourteen counties, which are
expected to be improved when provis-
ion is made therefore by the LegisIa-
ture. The highways which have SO
far been improved have necessarily
been comparatively short pieces, rang
ing from one-half mile to six miles in
length. These serve as examples to
the people in the various localities,
with the immediate result that many
petitions are received from the coun.
ties in Which roads have been built.
There is a general expectation that
the Legislature will make approprla-
tions which will bear some comparison
to those made for road work by the
neighboring States.
The average cost of tho highways
improved so far was $7074 mile, but,
with the new features of construction
suggested, the cost will be between
$4,000 and $4,000 mile. Even this
increased cost will be twenty per cent.
less than the cost of similar roads il
Massachusetts,.
Recommendations will be made to
the Legislature to add to the Highway
law provision Tor the maintenance of
improved highways by the county of.
ficials, and to provide for State
quarry of trap rock, where convicts
from Sing Sing Prison can be em-
ployed in producing crushed stone for
highway improvement.
Benefit of Good Roads to Farmers.
The argument used on the farmers
to favor some measure for good roads
in their respective States is the csti-
mated cost of transporting farm prod
ucts over poor roads. The estimate
emanates from the United States De-
partment of Agricultureand was furn-
ished to Otto Dorner, of Milwaukee,
Wis. It is estimated that the cost
per ton of transporting the farm prod
ucts of 1895 was S3.02 per ton. This
amounted in that year to S946, 4l4, 665.
In seeking to show the immensely OF
the charge the sum is compared with
the total values of all farm products
in the United States in 1890, which
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