The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-03-02
Good Roads In the South.

No movement calling for popular aid
or cooperative assistance on the part
Of legislative and commercial bodies
has made such rapid progress in 80
short time as the good-roads move
ment in the South. While this move.
ment is general throughout the coun-
try and seems to be attracting all ele-
ments to it support, in the South, where
great natural resources are being deve.
loped at an unprecedented rate, and
where facilities for transportation are a
matter of immediate, pressing concern,
largely made 80 during the past three
years, this subject of improved country
highways In taking deeper root with
the people than In most other sections.
The commerce ofthe world comes pri!
marily from the ground, and, as rule,
the cost of transporting q product is
relatively higher in the initial stage
from the field or mine to the railroad,
river or canal-than In any other part
Of its journey to the worlds markets
The most expensive and the most op.
pressive kind Of transportation Is wagon
transportation, where 1t is accomplish
ed over bad roads, but this fact is often
lost sight of by communities which ad-
dress themselves to the work Of correct
ing alleged Inequalities in the freight
rates charged by railroad and steam
boat companies. -.
A village in the West, which had Its
own peculiar grievance touching freight
rates, was 80 situated that all the in
coming freight delivered by the local
railroad had to be hauled up steep
hill in wagons, on which only half an
ordinary load could be- drawn. This
condition was complacently submitted
to for a number of years, when 1t occur
red to somebody to suggest that the
point of attack might be profitably
shifted from the railroad, or its attitude
on the subject of freight rates, to this
hill. When this suggestion was acted
upon finally, resulting in the cutting
down of the grade, the reduction in
cost of local carriage one-half and a
corresponding saving In cost Of trans,
portation greater than could possibly
have rsulted bad the railroad granted
all that was asked, the business men
of this village realized that they had
been guilty Of an error of omission in
not having figured, at an earlier day,
the cost Of transportation to and from
the doors of their, stores and ware
houses instead of between stations on
the railroad, and that.it is possible for
a short piece of neglected wagon road
to be an important adverse factor in
the relations Of their community with
distant markets.
The encouragement given to the
goodroads movement in the South by
the Southern railway, beginning in
1901, when it co-operated with the
United States Agricultural Depart
ment and the National Good-Roads
Association in an expedition for build
ing objectlesson roads in the South.
eastern sections of the country, is q
consistent part OF the policy which
aims at the development of its terri
tory.
In recent years 30 much has been
done to perfect traffic relations between
Southern Railway points and all the
great commercial centers, not only of
this country, but Of the world, that
it is simply logical to extend the sys-
tenn of economical distribution of pro-
ducts to the home of the farmer. and
the way to accomplish this is through
the improvement of the country wa
gon roads. e.. ::
One of the most promising and graft
flying features Of Southern develop.
meht today ia the activity displayed
by commercial bodies in promoting
road-building in the country, assum.
ing part of the burden in many ins:
tances, and thus recognizing what has
been 80 long largely ignored-the
mutual interest and .interdependence
of town and country In one of the
most important movements of the time