Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-10-27
lie VALUE OF GOOD ROADS.

Now that the plan of working the con-
victs Of Georgia on the public roads $
under consideration the demonstrations of
the immense benefits of good roads con-
struction in various parts of the country
have a specially deep and practical inter
est for orr people. Mecklenberg county.
North Carolina, is credited with originat-
ing the good roads movement that has
done so much for that state in the last
few years. This movement has extended
over the whole state and its benefits are
so evident that there is a pervading en-
thusiasm on the subject. The farmers and
all other classes of people gladly pay the
taxes that are required for the carrying on
of this work because they have learned
that money spent in this way brings big
returns.
1t is impossible to estimate the effect of
the efforts on the part Of the good roads
bureau of the federal government to
arouse the people TO an appreciation of
good road building.
The bureau indorses the report Of its
chief engineer who finds that the cost of
moving one ton by horsepower over one
mile of sandy road is g. cents, over damp
sand 90 cents, over ruts and mud 80 cents,
over broken stone and ruts rs cents, over
an earth road that is dry and hard is
cents, over a broken stone road in good
condition cents, over a compact gravel
road So cent, over stone paving 533 cents,
over asphalt 81 cents.
Another striking illustration of the value
| of good roads to New Jersey is given by
a writer in Lippincott's Magazine who
| says:
Formerly it took a wagon weighing
| 1900 pounds, with four horses and two
men, to haul 2 IL tons of produce to mar
| ket from Camden county farm and bring
back a load Of fertilizer of the same
weight, and then they were whole day
doing it. Often enough the wagon got
mired and then it took more than a day.
| Over one of the new roads it now takes
only one man, two horses and a wagon
| weighing 2,9O0 pounds to carry a load of
I four tons to market and bring another
load of the same weight back; and the
round trip is made in half day"
The New Orleans Times-Democrat
thinks that in the face Of such evidence
eft is wonderful, not that the movement
| is growing but that it is not growing more
| rapidly" 1t cites the fact that the state
! of North Carolina is now building a road
over the Blue Ridge Mountains. whose
| greatest grade will be one foot In thirty.
/ 1.-THE road will be an expensive one to
| build" says the New Orleans paper, but
| will pay for itself in the hauling of the
| first three crops. One horse can draw as
| much produce over this road as three
| could over the mountain roads now in
| existence, which amounts to the differ
| ence between affiuence and perjury to the
| 'one-horse' farmer"
| The Charlotte Observer, a newspaper
| that has done much to encourage good
| road construction in North Carolina, says:
'"The farmers of this part of the country
| have seen enough of the beneficial results
| of good roads to convince them that
| money wisely expended in their construc-
ton is money in their pockets. In this
| section of good roads no man can be
| found to raise a voice against them. At
| first the farmers regarded the movement
| with Indifference, but this feeling did not
last long, and a cry for good roads came
up from all parts of the county. The most
serious trouble encountered by the road
building authorities has been and is yet,
| to build the roads fast enough and in a
| sufficient number of different directions to
| please the people"
| We are making decided progress in road
| Improvement in Georgia, but not as much
| as we should. Our newspapers are urging
| the Importance of work of this kind and
some Of our public men are taking enough
| time from academic discussions to urge
| upon the people the possible profits Of this
| practical reform.
| Georgia has done much In the way of
| road betterment in the last ten years,
| but will do a great deal more In the next
/ ten