The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-19
ghs Aera11 and Jleaz
....
E H. AULL, EDITOR.
FREE MAIL DELIVERY AND GOOD ROADS
"A NEW PLAN.

IF report be true, tbs Postmaster
General is soon to be asked to consider
a pretty promising plan for the better
ment of the highways of this country,
submitted to the superintendent OF the
free delivery system by citizen OF
PENNSYLVANIA, Mr.. Joseph W. Brown.
It is based upon the fact that only one
serious obstacle stands in the way OF
developing the free delivery service,
namely, the present condition OF our
country roads. -.
MIR. Browns idea is that if certain
road is reported as practically lmpassa-
BE for the carriers, the highway au-
therities of the town wherein it IS
found are to have a reasonable length
of time within which to repair 1t, and
Sthe penalty for their failure SO to 90 is is
: to be the cessation of free delivery In
that locality.
In his recent report, Mr.. Martin
Dodge, Director Of the Bureau OF Pub
lie Roads Inquiries of the Department
of Agriculture, made some interesting
comments: F. -
eeThe circumstance that over Sc, OOO,
900 was appropriated by our last Cong
: ress largely to be buried IN our muddy
roads in the delivery OF our rural mails,
while only the small sum of $40, 900 was
last year devoted to meeting the road
problem, indicates the great need OF ed
ucation regarding the present necessity
and demand for vigorous and intelligent
road work. +
Gas much of these large appropria-
tions for rural mail delivery could be
saved if we had good roads, it is obvious
that am amount equal to a considerable
portion of these sums could be spent &c
q good advantage in educating the peo'
ple In the work of improving our coun-
try, roads, and thus forever close large
drain on our national cashbox.
If the introduction of free mail de,
livery results in the Improvement o1
our country roads, our rural friends VII
have occasion to. bless the art Of letter
writing and the Post Office twice over
New York Sun. ~
The good road problem is pressing foa
solution and the only wayoto solve it is
to raise some money by taxation. Il
would be thesbest investment we couio
make. IF we could just get the super
visor to go to work and build few
miles of good road so that our people
could see what we mean by road build
ing and travel over it and find out what
comfort and saving a good roae
would be there would be no trouble te
90 on with the work We realize that
our people. are already talking about
taxes and the cry has been for lower
taxes ever since we can remember bu:
IN matter of this kind taxes paic
would be an investment which weulc
pay big dividends and when our people
realize it they would want more and we
believe would not be satisfied until the
work was extended to every portion Of
the county. To make rural delivery OF
mail success good roads are indispen-
! sible and if rural delivery will hasten
the day of good roads, with the Sun,
we .ebless the art of letter writing ant
the Post Office twice over" Yes three
times over.
We would ike to see the general gov
ernment spend a few thousand in Civ,
ing us some examples of road building
But this problem we win have tt
work out for ourselves and the only
way we see to doit is by property tax.
Such course would make the towns
and the railroads contribute their part
to the building of roads, whereas un-
der the present system they do nothing.
They are as much benefited by GOOD
roads as the people who live in the
country and should contribute then
share. The factzis, under the present
system we practically have No roads.
And we never viii have any unless we
charge. The county and the State con-
yicts should be put on the public roads
and should be put to permanent road
building. We know of nothing that
< viii be of as much benefit to the people
who live in the country and the people
that live in the towns as good roads.