The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-01-15

The south has possibly been !, little !
SLOW IN this matter, and the efrcH,. :
,ut.;M's ~ from her negligence ure
PLAINLY TO be seen, ,
FOR the past few years there has been
great influx OF people into our towns
ana cities and these have RAPIDLY built
up at the expense OF the surrounding
sible shonld be rcmedieu, FOR IL ~
10 Inc people or the country. and not 10
the towns and cities. thut the State
must principally look for the pre-
servation OF her institutions. one or
the prime causes of this great iiow of
population into the towns and cities IA
~ Dc found III the condition of our
public highways. In most OF the cu,ln-
TIES III me state during certain sea-
sons or the year some OF the roads are
uitDgether impaSsuble. and all commu-
nication and traffic with the cities and |
ralir0ad points are cut off. Such IL con-
diuon OF AFFAIRS must work great hard
SHIPS, especially upon the rural dis !
tricts, and the people OF the rural dis |
tricts compose the great majority OF
our population.
Leaving out OF consideration alto
gether the evils resulting from the con-
dttion OF our roads, however, and look
ing at the question from Il purely bust
ness standpoint, good roads pay and
are one OF tho best Investments which
can be made by county. or State
Under our present methods Of road
building, 1t is necessary to rebuild the
roads after every washing rain while
II we build good. permanent roads. the
cost of keeping them in repair would be
! q Very small item i'm comparison to
what our present roads are costing.
In fact. the saving In not having to
| work the permanent roads so often,
1 would In very short time pay for
their building. This has been found to
oe tpe case wherever good. permanent
! roads have been built
from the seventh annual report OF
the commissioners of public roads for
the state Of New Jersey, one of the
4 leading States In the good roads move
ment, the following Is taken merely
to show in what respect good onds
are held by the people who have used
I them and know of their advantages:
The people seem to be 80 wonderfully
4 Impressed with the, idea that by good
! roads the value of lnl.d will be in
creased. transportat ton cheapened,
travel and business attracted, school
houses and churches filled, and civil
iizati0n advanced. that they are pray
Il ing as earnestly for them as for greN
a riches. Consequently the pressure for
new roads is SO great 1t seems almost
Y impossible. to hold the people back
They are 30 anxious that they arc
not willing to conflne themselves with
In the limit Of State and county up-
propria tiOns They are constantly in
, sisttng upon. building ahead of tho
state approximation. in order that the,
may enjoy them now" Il. .
a 1T has beerisaesfimafed that in II
counties In Indiana where good roadt
have been built, the average increus,
Z In the selling price OF lal1ddue to eX-
listing improved. highways. is $6.4S pei
acre. The estimated average increas.
per acre that would result from i'm.
. proving all the public roads Is $500
y The estimated average cost OF con.
Il verttnE the common. public roads into
improved highways is .si.l46 per mile
The estimated average annual loss
n per 100 acres. from poor roads is $76.2S.
q On the basis of this calculation the
average annual loss from poor roads
: is l6 cents per, acre. 1t Will be seer
that tho loss from poor roads would
soon my for the building OF goot
roads, and after replacing the amount
paid: for their construction, the goot
roads; Will continue to pay.
or course. it cannot be expected thai
South Carolina should do AZ much al
II some OF tile States have done, but any
action which may be taken. looking e
y the bet s.Inent OF our roads, Will bs o
great benefit and In the long run wil
actually save, money. Most of t.,
4 work done by our chaingangs upon tn.
present roads IS simply thrown away
The, building OF public highways !.
as much of Il science az railroad
building. and In order to build road!
Will require money, and In order to ae.
: cure money there will have to be pro,
| i
Good Roads convention, which was re.
4 Gently held I'm Greenville. passed reso
iutions requesting the legislature thai
each county be given the privilege tt
determine ), by election the right O,
such county to levy a tax, not to ex
4 ceed 2 1-2 mills on the taxable property
II OF such county. II SO much be neces
sary. in order to build good roads. ant
that such. counties as desire to do 81
n be given authority to issue bonds t
y construct and maintain their publ,
highways and be authorized to issue
: bonds upon SO deciding by county cleo
tion. a resolution was also passed n
/ this convention requesting the leglsln.
ture to enact such laws as will en-.
courage tho use of broad tires, and nlsI
that the county >chaingangs shall bt
II put to work exclusively on building
good, permanent roads. These sug.
ositlons ana will work great bench,
TO the State if carried out, and ] rec.
omn1end that they be followed.
IL Is most gratifying to note the in.
terest which has lately been taken by
the people OF South Carolina in thi.
subject. Most Of the counties of the
State are. awakening to. a. realization
of the Importance OF the subject nnt
much, is being accomplished.
, III this connection the work which
has been done and is now being done
! by the Southern railway in this di-
I rection deserves comnendation, and nc
doubt much Of the good which has re-
suited from this awakening Is due
partly to its efforts.
/ Any action looking to the better.
tnent OF our roads which, in you,
lwisdom, you may see fit to take, will
he so much done, toward the promo
tion OF the general prosperity of the
people. Whatever plan you adopt
!! should be. efficient. economical and
equitable. And that you should adop,
some plan Is patent to every thought
full citizen.
| CHILD LABOR.
In my last message l directed your
attention to the Importance of giving
careful consideration to the question
OF child labor in our manufacturing
4 establishments. With the rapid growth
OF manufacturing industries in our
i ton HAT dfractlu nonca..,,r 4i,e ,,aa.,11