Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-01-08
Good Roads In the South.

I
or cooperative assistance on the pal
of legislative and commercial bodies
has made such rapid progress In so
short time as the good road move.
ment Ia general throughout the coun-
try and seems to be attracting all ele
ments to its support, In the South
where great natural resources are be-
ing developed at an unprecedented rate,
and where facilities for transportation
are matter OF immediate, pressing
concern. largely made during the past
three years, this subject of improved
country highways Is taking deeper
root with the people than In most 9th
er section.
The com merce of the world comes
primarily from the ground, and as q
rule the cost of transporting product
Is relatively higher in the initial stage
from che field or mine TO- the rail-
road, river or canal-than in any 9TH
er psrt of its journey to the worlds
market. The most expensive and the
most oppressive kind of transportation
is wagon transportation, where it is
accom- plished over bad roads, but
this fact is often lost sight of by COM
munities which address themselves 10
the work of correcting alleged inequali-
ties in the freight rates charged by rail
road and steamboat companies
A village in the Wess. which had it's
own peculiar grievance touching
freight rates. was so situated that ell
the incoming freight delivered by the
local railroad had to be auled up
steep hill IN wagons. on which only
halt an Ordinary load could be drawn.
This condition was cOmplacently sub
mitted to for number of years, when
it occurred to s0msbody to suggest
that the poiut If attack might be prof.
tably 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 re-
duction in cost of local carriage one
half. and a corresponding saving in
cosI OF transportation greater than
could have resulted had the railroad
granted all that Was asked, the bust
ness 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
road to be an important factor in the
relations Of this community with dis
tant markets.
The encouragement given to the
good roads movement in the South by
the South Railway, beginning in 1901,
when it co-operated with the United
States Agricultural Department and
the National Good Roads Association
in an expedition for building object
lesson roads in the country, is a con,
s1stent part of the policy which aims
at the development of its territory.
In recent years so much has been
done to perfect traffic relations be-
tween Southern Railway points and all
the great commercial centers, not only
of this country but of the world. that
1t 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 wogon
roads.
On of the promising and gratify fying
features of Southern development to |
day is the activity displayed by COM
mercial bodies in promoting road build
Ing in the country, assuming part of
the burden In many instances. and thus
recognizing what has been so long
largely ignored-the mutual interest
and independence Of town aud coun-
try IN one of the most important move
ments Of the etimes.-Southern Field.