The Lexington dispatch. [volume] (Lexington, South Carolina) 1870-1917, 1903-11-04
report of the comptroller

| GENERAL.
ROAD IMPROVEMENT.
It would be a. waste of words to at
tempt to argue before any asSemblage
of South Carolinians the Importance OF
good roads and the necessity for road
improvement. Neither would it be pro"
ftable to attempt to argue before you
the advantages Of good roads, for al
are agreed upon that subject. The
question which concerns US is how best
to secure them; to devise some plan by
which we can, at least, begin the bullG-
ing Of good roads. 1t is a business pro-
position, and should be taken hold OF IN
a business way.
With the ey ension of the rural deliv-
cry of mail, the necessity is upon us
for road improvement, for already the
department at Washington is discuss
ing the impracticability Of extending,
or even Of carrying on this service OF
mail delivery unless there is road i'm
provement. 1t has been stated that the
postmaster general is to be asked to
consider a plan for the betterment OF
our public roads, and the request is
based on the fact that only n serious
obstacle stands in the way Of extending
and developing u free rural delivery
service, and that is the condition
of the public highways. Mr.. Martin
Dodge, director of the bureau Of public
roads inquiries Of the department Of
agriculture, in his recent report said:
"The circumstance that over $6,OOO,oO
was appropriated by u last congress.
largely to be buried in muddy roads in
the delivery of our rural mails,
while only the small sum Of $4,000
was last year devoted to meeting the
road problem, indicates the great need
Of education regarding he present ne
cessity and demand for vigorous and
intelligent road work.
LAS much of these large appropria-
tons for rural mail delivery could be
saved if we had good roads, it is OBJ
Vious that an amount equal to a con-
siderable portion of these sums coulc
be spent to a good advantage in edu-
eating the people in the work OF I'M
proving. u country roads, and thus
forever close a large drain on our ma
tional cash box"
It is not so much a question of edu-
cation, at least with us, as it is a ques-
ton OF the means wherewith to build
good roads. And yet in a sense it is q
matter Of education. Because If our
people could be taught to realize the
value and Importance Of good roads
there would not be so much trouble to
secure the means. If we could have
some practical illustrations Of the value
and the saving to our people of good
roads they would not hesitate to put up
the money to secure them, for, though
we are not rich, they would then realize
that they could not make a better pay
ing investment a money put in good
and permanent road Improvement. IF
the general government could follow
| Tho c,1ooactinn Of Mr. nn2pa q nd cnpn1
some money in demonstrating the value,
and the service to the people Of good
roads, and the advantages to accrue We
would have little trouble in continuing
the work. And-as he suggests it would
be a saving to the government at
Washington in extending the rural mail
delivery service, and would be as legit-
innate expenditure of government funds
as the building of dykes and the drain
age and irrigation of lands, for which
the government is now spending large
sums OF money.
But after all we must depend upon
our own for this great ad-
vance movement. To accomplish re-
suits will take money, n the way to
raise this money is by a property tax
Under the present system Of road
working, u public roads are almost
impossible at certain seasons of the
year. With the one dollar commuta-
ton tax we are going backward. be-
cause the money from this is made
quate even to work the roads. Besides.
it is not right to make the people who
live in the rural districts keep up the
roads, any more than it is to make any
other class of our citizens keep up and
build any other public institution. The
public road is as much the property Of
the county as the court house or the
Jail. A property tax for road building
would reach the incorporated towns and
cities n the railroads and other cor
poratiOns, and make them contribute
their share to this public benefaction.
and no ore will deny that they are as
much benefited by good roads as the
! people of the country.
! The labor Of our ~chaingangs in most
counties is abor thrown away and the
money to support them is money
| wasted. The chaingangs should be re-
quired to do permanent road work,
! starting from the county court house
as the geographical centre and building
out in each direction permanent roads.
If only a few miles are built each year
it will be SO much contributed to the
general welfare. The State convicts
could not be put to better public
service, even if it necessitated selling
! r? of the State farms.
We can never have n permanent
road work lone until we change the
present system and make provision to
raise money by a property tax. and
make it mandatory that said money
shall be put on permanent road i'm
prOvement, and also make It mandatory
that the ~chainganGs shall be put on the
same work.
The advantages Of good roads and the
saving to the people and the increased
value of land as a result of them ara
so patent that they scarcely need to
be stated. But unless you change the
present system We will continue to GO
backward. 1t is remarkable that our
people have so long submitted to the
condition Of cur public roads without
making greater efforts for their sub
Stantial Improvement. AS to this coun-
try at large lit is c~onservatively esti-
mated by government officials that we
are needlesSly losing or wasting over
5000, 900, 600 each year because Of our bad
roads, making a mud tax of over 50, 000.-
600 for every working day in the year
and ar individual tax of nearly $500
each year for every person in this coun-
try This does not include the diSad-
Vantages n Inconvenience and dis
comfort incident to bad roads. We are
losing or wasting our pro rata Of this
fnOrrnO1S SIM in SOlth ca O1iro onH