Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-06-25
llIllIlll,IlIllIllllTlIIIllII!IIIlIIIIIIIiIiI
GOOD ROADS
VS..
BAD ROADS.
HOW TO DO IT.
continued from last issue.)
5ilNlIs!IilllIlliIllllh c M!illlllillihIii'iteiii
Correspondence of Edgc6eld Advertiser:

CONTINUED from last issue.)
The decrease in value of land in
Edgefeld is still gong on. The
special reason wea are getting 80
moor that we can't fix the roads, Is
because the roads need fixing. 1t
is useless look for better times-a
time when we will be better able to
work on the roads s.-land values
will get worse - we shall be less
able as time goes on if W" put
this work off. 1t is not prosperity
that brings good roads but good
roads bring prospe rity. If we want
10 { get prosperous therefore we we
shai! have to go to work o? the
roads that is the iirst requisite.
Thinking people will see this when
thew realize that nearly every ton
of hauling in Edgefiold county
costs 35c On every mile hauled,
u. S. governn. ent estimates for. our
class Of roads) when it should cost
only from 7c to 1Oc. This ls on
eyery mile hauled it should be re-
membered. The U. S.government
says in the bad road sections OF
the country the excessive cost OF
hauling is equal to one fourth OF
the "total home value of the pro,
ducts" Edgeield raised in lsC0 "
$4,000 bales of cotton, which at S4O
Der bale is equivalent to 81 100000
worth of cotton. If the excess cost
of hauling on this Was $25o,c0o we
can see how we are throwing away
money, or failing to make money
This probably means all the haul
ing c,nnected with the cotton
hauling the supplies to raise it. etc
| l have pointed out that we buy IN
Edgefield $25, 900 to $4,000 worth
of vehicles every year. estimated
from the tax books, aad slrce
our vehicles are bumped and shak'
ell to pieces and do not live hall
their time, it is plain that we spene
$4,000 tc$l2,0OG at least more
annually for vehicles than We
would on good roads. 1t is all es
tablished fact that vehicl' OF
good roads last twice as long a. a
thew do on bad roads. We shlI
/ ia much lumber, meal, -four, etc
on railroad because 1T Is too cost.
to send to our country lumber en-
meal and flour mills. Our none.
goes ou. of the county, instead Q
to our own people who need it, wh
, are in the lumber, f3ur and mea
business. Valuable timber land
} 60 begging, except near the raj r
roads; Ve buy our meal and hoo
! instead of raising l.; we stick
cotton and cannot diversity; fe
dairies; little vegetable farm'n
and SO leak at every pore on a
count of oul terrible system of bs
roads. No wonder we are poor.
Gen. Butler says in his address
eff I had my way would appoil
E a competent civil engineer for e
S cry county, or one for two Or thr
4 of the smaller counties" This
: what we should do in Edgehelda; q
t And make up our mind, as the
: are doing elsewhere, to pay fl
what is necessary, before we are te
poor to pay at all. Land in Ricl
mond County, Ca, SO Judge W.
5 Eve of that county was telling I'll
2 other day, that in 1880 would SO
5 for only $6 an acre, now after goo
gravel roads had been put thr oug
them sold as high as SIS an acr
and the people were giving right
of way and begging him to pu
roads through their land. Th
U s.. Government says the avsrag
increase iu prices of land in goo
road sections, after wide inquiry
proves to be $6 per acre. Every
single Thing raised on this land
raised atsgreater profit. This en-
riches the county. Every man
woman and child in Edgefelt
would de enriched by the building
of good, modern roads far in exces
of what, it would cost-soms eigh
or ten times what it would cost
II. C.. M.