The suburban citizen., 1902-08-09
GOOD @
o r o X D s.
South Carolina's Governor Talks Plainly

sweeney maze vigorous appeal
l. for legislation looking to better
highways. He said:
During the last yenr there has been
general awakening throughout the
country on the question of good roads,
and in every section great interest has
been manifested and movements begun
looking to the Improvements of the
public highways. There is no question
that more directly and more generally
concerns the great body Of our people.
The South has possibly been little
slow in this matter, and the effects
resulting from her negligence are
plainly to be seen,
For the last few years there has
been a great influx OF people into our
towns and cities, and these have rapid
ly built up at the expense of the
surrounding country. This is an evil
which, If possible, should be remedIed
for it is to the people Of the country,
and not to the towns and cities, that
the State must principally look for the
presentations of her institutions. One
of the prime causes of this great flow
OF population into the towns and cities
is to be found t., the condition of our
public highways. In most of the coun-
ties in the State during certain seasons
of the year some of the roads are alto
gether impossible, and all communica-
ton and traffic with the cities and
railroad points are cut of. Such con-
ditlon OF affairs must work great hard
ships, especially upon the rural
districts, and the people Of the rural
districts compose the great majority Of
our population,
Leaving out of consideration alto.
gether the evils resulting from the con-
diton Of our roads, however, and lOok-
ing at the question from a purely
business standpoint, good roads pay,
and are one of the best investments
which can h made by county or
State. Under our present methods of
road building, it Is necessary to build
the roads after every washing rain,
while If we build good, permanent
roads, the cost of keeping them in re-
pair would be a very small item in
comparison to what our present roads
are costing. In fact, the saving is not
having to work the permanent roads
so often would be in a very short time
pay for their building. This has been
found to be the case wherever good,
permanent roads have been built.
"From the seventh annual report Of
the Commissioner Of Public Roads for
the State of New Jersey, one of rhe
leading States in the good roads move
ment, the following is taken merely to
show in what respect good roads are
held by the people who have used them
and know Of their advantages: gThe
people seem to be so wonderfully i'm
pressed with the idea that by good
roads the value of land will be in
creased, transportation cheapened, ira
vel and business attracted, school
houses and chuches filed and civill-
cation advanced, that they are praying
as earnestly for them as for great
riches. Consequently the pressure for
new roads is so great that 1t seems
almost impossible to hold the people
back. They are so anxious tina. they
are not willing to confine themselves
within the limit of State and county
appropriations. They are constantly
insisting upon building ahead Of the
State appropriation in order that they
may enjoy them now
ut has been estimated that in forty
counties in Indiana where good roads
have been built, the average increac
in the selling price of land, due to ex.
istlng improved highways, is S64S per
acre. The estimated average increase
per acre that would result from i'm.
proving all the public roads is 50. The
estimated average cost of converting
the common public roads, into i'm.
proved highways is $1146 per mile. The
estimated average annual loss per 100
acres, from poor roads, is $7G2S' On
the basis of this calcula tlon the aver.
age annual loss from poor roads is
seventy-slx cents per acre. 1t will lie
seen that the loss from poor roads
would soon pay for the building Of
good roads, and after replacing the
amount paid for their construction. the
good roads would continue to pay.
"Of course, II cannot be expected
that South Carolina should do as much
as some of the states have done, but
any action which may be taken look
ing to the betterment Of our roads will
be Of great benefit, and in the long run
will actually save money Most of the
work done by our chain gangs upon
the present roads is simply thrown
away.
"The building of public highways Is
as much OF science as railroad build
Ing, and in order to build roads will
require money, and in order TO secure
money there will have to be provision
for raising it by taxation. The Good
Roads Convention, which was recently
held in Greenyille, passed resolutions
requesting the legislature that each
county be given the privilege to de-
termlne by election the right Of such
county to levy tax. no. to exceed
tuvo ond ono.bo1f rniIlc ~, ti,a +ovoh1o