The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1902-10-02

lHeiu ~ carry Oh His
business. or who rides for the pleasure
to be gained from this sort Of profit
able recreation.
To enumerate the phases Of life that
would receive benefits from better
highways would be to include the
entire list of human avocations. Any
attempt to confinc the benefits of good
roads to a particular class or commun-
ity must fail, because if n man does
not use the public road in the ordinary
ways of travel he does reap the adj
vantages accruing from them in the
increased prosperity which has never
failed to come to a section that has
constructed permanent good roads.
No other public improvement is so
generally conceded to bring good to
every inhabitant, and yet no other
great public work seems so thoroughly
neglected or SO poorly understood by a
great mass of U intelligent citizens.
Practically every State In the Union
has recently awakened to the fact that
the prosperity Of our growing country
is to be along lines of productive and
commercial enterprise. 4 number of
these States are looking toward North
Carolina for lessons in economic and
practical road building. 1t is an ac-
k~nowledged fact that some Of our
counties have rs good roads as can
be found probably in the Worthwhile
OH the other hand, it is also a fact
that n very large majority of u
counties have roads that are frequently
impossible and rs unsatisfactory as
can be found anywhere. Our hope OF
salvation from this latter condition is
that the public-spirited citizens are
going to take up this roads matter in 4
methodical way and overcome the
prejudice in the minds of some citizens
who think that 4 tax for building per-
manent roads is 4 costly experiment.
Experience and statistics prove the
reverse to Ire true: it is the most profit
able and satisfactory investment aEy
community can make. The old labor
system OF working the puuIlc roads is
not in keeping with advanced methods
in al other departments Of modern
life: 4 number of the counties in our
State have adopted the plan of levying
a small tax for road Improvement pur.
poses, to supplement the old labor
requirement, and the results from this
combination are Of 4 highly satisfac-
tory nasure. Every county in the
State should at least Try this plan and
see If it wont to some extent improve
the condition Of the public roads.
In the South. the producer Is espe-
cially haInpered because he cannot
proitably get his stuff to the great
centres. of trade and competition. 4
striking illustration OF this disadvan-
tage to our North Carolina farmers is
seer in the recent statement from m
authentic sanrce to the. effect that 4
great many necessaries, Of life can be
brought from California into our W
State on the railroads and sold to our
city population at less. cost than the
same articles which rsust I've hauled
into the cities from points in the same
county fifteen or twenty miles away
This is because Of the fact that thu
railroads carr haul produce 4 thousand
miles on their GOOD ROADS cheaper
than our farmers can haul 1t twenty
miles over our BAD ROADS. And
yet it Is rather interesting to know
that the railroad companies are the
most earnest advocates Of improved
public highways. Ordinarily We would
think OF then! us opposed 70 Il line OF
communication which would seem to
compete with them. But they have
realized, the important fact that 4
greater territory will be- opened to
them; farmers can protitably haul thelr
farm products from Il lauch greater
distance to the main line. Of the rail-
road and thus increase its traffic, while
the general prosperity Of the inhabit-
ants Of the section will add to the
value OF property, promote educational
facilities and create 4 tendency to-
ward wider usefulness for every citizen
where this material advancement is
going on.
Information On these subjects Is
being continually collected from every
part of the world. and our Federal
Government is making a study Of tie
question Of good roads from a sensible
and a scientific point Of view, through
the office Of Public Road Inquiries at
Washington, d. c., so that these facts
are not the result Of guess or estimate
but come from actual investigation and
personal observation. This informa-
ton Is being compiled in convenient