The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1903-03-12

Charlotte Observer.
The United States Department OF
Agriculture has issued a pamphlet OF
~ pages containing the proceedings
OF the North Carolina Good Roads
Convention held at Raleigh on Feb
ruary II and 13, 1902 The contents
of the publication were compiled by
j. A. Holmes, special agent, South
ern divisiOn' In his letter of trans
initial Martin Dodge, director of the
office of public road inquiries, says OF
the meeting:
'This convention derives special
Importance from the number and
representative character of those at
tending and from the instructive ad-
dresses delivered. The Southern Rail
way good roads train was present
during the convention, and a section
of object-lessOn road, constructed on
scientific principles, is described. /
recommend the publication of this
report as Bulletin No. "a, of this
office"
Bulletin No. "A contains the full
proceedings of the meeting, including
the texts of the addresses delivered.
There are also Il number of cuts OF
good roads in North Carolina, the
movement toward the improvement
of which Mr. Holmes mentions in the
following language, in the course of
his address to the convention:
"The modern movement for better
roads in North Carolina may be said
to have begun in 1879, when the
General Assembly passed what is
known as the Mecklenburg Road
Law. This was intended as a Gen
eral State law, but at the time it was
applied to only three counties
Mecklenburg, Forsythe and Stokes.
1t provided for the working of public
roads partly by taxation and partly
by the old labor system, but even in
this moderate form it was ahead of
it's time and in 1881 was repealed. 1t
was re-enacted by the Legislature Of
1880, and since that time, though
applied ilr full to but few counties, it
has served as basis for much of the
best road legislation and road work
in the State
Mecklenburg's work along the line
of road improvement is more espe-
cially emphasized in a general way,
however, in another publication, en-
titled 'Road Building With Convict
Labor in the Southern States," by
Prof. Holmes, printed by the United
States Department of Agriculture.
Among the Illustrations are ''Sleep-
ing Quarters for Convicts used on
Public Roads in Mecklenburg county,
n. G.; "Convicts Operating the En-
gine and Stone-Crusher used in Road
Building in Mecklenburg County,
N. G." "Convicts Building a Mac
adam Road in Mecklenburg County,
N. c." and a 'Double-Track Mac
adam and Earth Road Built by Con-
Wet Labor in Mecklenburg County,
n. c. The latter is a scene taken
just North of Charlotte OH the Derita
road, showing about q mile Of that
excellent highway Writing of the
macadam roads in this county Prof
Holmes says:
"The county being situated in the
hill country, the old roads with their
steep grades have had to be relocated
at certain points, and they have been
graded by cutting through hills and
building up intervening depressions
until this grade work as seen today
resembles that along railroad line.
These roads radiate out from Char
lotte. the county seat. They have a
| width. in the central township of 40
feet, of which II feet in the center has
| been macadamized, and a dirt road
has been arranged on each side of
this. In the rural portions of the
county the width of the road has
been contracted to 30 Or 35 feet; the
macadam track has in many cases
| been reduced to width of 10 feet,
and has been placed on one side OF
the road. This gives a double track
-one, the macadam, to be used al
most exclusively during the rainy
season, and the other, the earth road,
to be used generally during dry
weather. This double-track system,
which is much preferred by the far
mers, prolongs the life of the maca-
dam road by relieving it from traffic
during dry weather.
| "All of this work is being done by
convict labor, and the long period
| five to ten years. for which many OF
| the prisoners have been sentenced
permits their being trained for expert
work in the way of handling machin.
cry and grading and macadamizing
the roads. In connection with the
cost of this work, it may be added
that the maintenance of the convict
force (including salaries of the guards
and camp superintendent, and the
clothing, board, tobacco, and medi
cal attendance for the cOnvicts) aver
ages for the entire force for the yeal
from % to 30 cents per convict PEE
day. These convicts are housed
throughout the year in comfortabl,
portable structures, made of woot
and corrugated iron, framed in sec
tions, so that they are easily takel
down and moved by a small portion
OF the squad from one point t,
another along the road.
During the past twenty years, ant
largely during the past decade, 10.
miles of such maeadam roads hav
been constructed in Mecklenbur,
county by convict labor. At first, a
might be expected, the progress mad
was slow and the work not alway
well directed, but year by year th
county authorities have profited b.
their own experience and that c
Others, and during the past few year
there has been a decided improve
.ment both in the rate of progres
| and efficiency of manaupmant DIM