The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-12-30
VALUE OF GOOD ROADS.

INFORMATION REACHES us lHTCuSn q
prominent farmer of this county on the
south side of The river. one who is
familiar with the public roads of this
rounty, that but for the remarkably
good Weather prevailing in the early
part Of the marketing season Kinston
would have lost tremendously this fall.
by virtue Of The fact that the roads
are so utterly bad that. with bad
weathN~ conditions. 1t would have been
impossible to market the crop at this
place: IN other words that only under
the most favorable weather conditions
are our roads passable for teams with
heavy loads.--Kinston Free Press.
From the above an important lesson
can be learned by the people generally
and the merchants especially of other
towns than Kinston. Good roads benz
fit the farmers greatly. but they are
of still more advantage to the towns
to which they lead. The farmers Of
the country are being rapidly educated
up to the value of good loads to their
rket towns. They are beginning t.
n that thee is great saving On
*, wagons and in time in markell
~ q crop over a good macadam road.
,nese savings mean money in the farm
ers' pockets. The towns which get the
farmers produce and their trade are
going to forge anead Of those which do
not. h farmers are going to market
their crops In tnose towns which they
comfort to themselves and with the
least strain and wear on their stock
and wagons. Money spent by both
town merchant and country farmers
in laying good roads batween the two
will find it money we'll spent for both
Of them. The farmers will help build
up these towns and the will
add to the vaiue of tile crops of the
farmers who p~atronize them.
The era of ,od road building has
dawned in our state and those COM
munities which do not recognize this
fact are going to be badly left by their
IRE wldeawake and up-to-date neigh
rs. The pioneers in this movement
d a hard time at first in inducing the
ople to take ii I'D of the new idea; the
latter could not see the advantage to
be derived: they opposed the principle
Of paying taxes fer making good roads
ia their market towns. They and their
along with three days patch work q
rear on the pubic roads. which meant
a temporary fll.;lg in Of the worst mud
holes, building temporary bridges over
drains. cutting side bitches which the
next hare rain would fill up. They
could not at first see the gain that was
to come to then from taxation to lay
permanent roads of hard smooth sur
face. But these pioneers Kept hammer
ing away until 10Y there is almost a
universal cry for good roads. Next to
the campaign o. education which has
been SO successfully launched and car
ried IN in this safe that Of good roads
is the most important in
recent years. In fact each is a valuable
assistant to the other. The good roads
bring the people Of a county nearer to
each other. Just as the railroad, the
long distance telephone and the teIe-
graDh unite in closer communication
the people Of a state or a nation. They
enable the betterment Of our rural
public school system: they lay the
foundation for the establishment of
rural free delivery mail routes, thus
opening up to the people intercourse
with the outside world. giving them
freer access to newspapers and other
periodicals and thereby increasing the
'esire for education and keeping up
Etth the march of events and the hap-
anSngs in the outside world.
Good roads are great educators OF the |
--aers They give them opportunities |
to become acquainted with other towns
than those nearest to them and give |
them the pick of markets. The towns !
which have the greatest number ct
good roads leading out in different d.
rections and to greater distances are
going TO have the most farmers bring /
ing their produce to their mar
kets. In the contest among neigh
boring towns for business with the
country sections, those which pay