The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-14
FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS
FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
Convention Urges More Extended Use of Convict
Labor in Road Building.
NORTH CAROLINA GOOD ROADS ASSOCIATION

On the Executive Committee, besides
the presidonr, secretary and treasurer,
there were appointed last night by the
| Committee on Organization, the following
| four gentlemen:
Mr.. S. l.. Patterson, Commissioner of
Agriculture.
! Judge A. w. Graham, of Granville
! Mr. Paul Garrett, Of Weldon
! Prof. W. c. Riddick, of the A. and NJ.
College, Raleigh.
At the morning session Yesterday
speeches were made by Mr.. w. c. Nc
Mackin, County Superintendent of Roads
for Wake county; Rev. II. N Ivey. editor
of the Raleigh Christian Advocate; Mr..
Abbott, of Colorado, Government Repre-
| sentative for Coed Roads on the Pacific
| Slope; President Geo. T. Winston, Of the
| A. and NJ. College; Congressman E. w.
| Pou, of this district; Mr. A w Macien
superintendent of the Rural Free Delivery
| Service, and Senator f. NJ. simmons
In che afternoon. there were addresses
by Dr. Charles D. McIver, of the Indus
trial and Normal College at Greensboro;
Col. I. 6 Skinner, of Hertford, and Mr..
r. w. Richardson, Secretary of the Ma
tional Good Roads Associatio
Last night Mr.. NJ. O. Eldridge, of the
Bureau of Road Inquiries at Washington,
gave IN illustrated lecture.
AS on the previous day. the Metropoli-
tan Opera House was filled at all three
Of the sessions.
MORNING SESSION.
The Good Roads Convention was called
10 order by Chairman Patterson prompt
ly at 10:30 a. N. for the second days ses-
sion.
The opening prayer was offered by
Rev. DR.. Eugene Daniel, Of the Presby-
terian church, this city.
The first speaker of the day was Mr..
w. c. McMackin, County Superinten-
dent of Roads for Wake county. who
spoke on Raleigh ownship Roads and
Road Law.
Mr.. McMackir began by giving brief
account of the history of the Wake
county road laws. He then went on to
speak Of the needs in the great question
OF good roads, and said in part
Every convict in the county should
be building reads and preparing mate
rial instead of coming into competition
with other labor (Applause)
"As to our road law in the county, we
think we have the best law of any out
side of Mecklenburg. When we began
the movement, there We're only six or
seven people in the county in favor
of it,
DR. Lewis is really the father of the
road law, and he got it through the Leg
islature with the proyiso that the mag.
istrates could use their discretion in
sending the convicts to the roads.
I'VE have nineteen miles of macadam
road, and great deal of gravel road,
which is nearly as good as macadam.
On nearly every road leading out of the
city there are piles of gravel, which can
be bought at comparatively low figures.
Many of the people are willing to give
this gravel for the sake of having good
roads,
Speaking of machinery, Mr.. McMaekin
said that great deal could be accom-
plished merely with wagons and good
mules to improve the conditions where
machinery was not cbtainable for lack
of money
Il think" said he. "the proper way
for us to do is for each county TO have
a law in accordance with the particular
needs of that section"
Reverting to the subject OF convict
labor, Mr.. McMackin said
eve have worked these convicts ever
snce we have been in the business 1t is
much cheaper to keep these convicts at
work on the roads than in the peniten-
tiary at so cents per day. Even if he
costs us 80 cents day on the roads. we
are getting his work"
AT the conclusion OF Mr.. McMackin's
speech, Judge A. w. Graham, of Oxford,
introduced the following resolution:
Resolved, That the president and
other officers of the association be ap-
pointed a committee TO draft bill pro-
viding for the working of all convicts in
the State Except those serving a life
sentence, women and invalids,) upon the
public roads Of the State, which bill they
shah present to the next session of the |
Legislature and request the passage Of
the same
The resolution was referred to the |
Committee on Resolutions.
DIR. IyEY,S ADDRESS.
The next address was by Rev. L. n. |
Ivey, on "The Relation of Good Roads |
to the Churches
Dr. Ivey showed with much force the !
relation between the church's interests |
and the temporal interests OF any COM |
munity or country. After showing it's |
he went on to say that if the |
temporal interests are influenced by !
good roads. then it must follow the |
church's interests also are influenced by !
the same agency.
He continued in part as follows:
"The church is certainly suffering for
the want Of good roads, for the major !,