The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1902-03-22
PAY THEIR OWN WAY.


ohe paragraph in that part of the
governors message which relates In
good roads is of especial consideration
because OF its very general interest
and application.
u is estimated, he says. that in 40
counties in Indiana "a good broad basis
ior computation, as that is nearly the
Whole number of counties in South
.arolna) the average increase in the
selling price" of land, due to existing
improved roads, is almost $3.50 IN acre
lSo.4s to be exact). The estimated av-
e'age cost of converting common pub
TIC roads into improved roads is $1,146
a mile. The estimated average annual
loss a hundred acres from poor roads
due to added expense of hauling only
haif loads over them, breakage and
wear nj tear of vehicles, loss of time,
etc'-ls SIG, or 76 cents an acre. at
IL 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 will continue to pay"
Inc calculation may be varied a lit
tie. A good road will steadily and eff
1ectlvely serve a tract of country for a
mile on each side of it, and, as there
are GAO acres to the square mile, it fol-
lows that one mile of good road will
serve l,2s0 acres on each side, within
h mile limit. 1t follows. again, that
an expenditure Of one dollar an acre
Tor each acre so to be benefited will
more than pay the cost ($1,146) of inn
proving a bad road into so expensive
a good one as the kind constructed in
Indiana. 1t is also to be noted that
10 cents of the dollar so expended is
offset by the saving of the ''loss'' for
one year on account of bad road condi-
lions, leaving the net cost Of the i'm.
provement to the land owners only o5
cents an acre in fact. This expendi-
ture is practically made but once, tie
actual cost of maintenance being rela-
lively very small. Wherefore, the i'm
proved road will nearly pay the whole
cost of its construction in one year
and thereafter will continue to return
70 cents an acre annually in the single
item of saving the loss resulting from
bad roads. To which gain is to be
added all the conveniences of good
road service, and the increase of $3.50 in
the value of every acre tributary to the
road, as determined by its increased
selling price. Four per cent. interest
for one year on the Increased value"
alone of the two square miles. or one
per cent. a year for the four years,
would pay the whole cost of the i'm
provement.
The calculation is subject to some
notifications to adapt it to this state,
and to different parts of the state. 1t
will apply closely in districts where
roads are improved on the system and
at the high rate of cost observed in
Indiana; but may be greatly changed
in the case of other districts, especial
ly, for example, those lying south and
east of Columbia.
Good roads equal to turnpikes have
been constructed in Darlington, Rich
land and Orangeburg counties, by over
laying sand with clay at a cost ranging
down to $50 a mile. md perhaps aver-
aging less than $500 a mile. Darling
ton alone has constructed over 700
miles of such roads in the last five
years, and Richland several hundred
more at n cost, we believe, higher than
that average. Placing the average at
$500 n mile, however, for such con-
strnct;op n foroys tbat everv u;1o