The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-12-09
CRAFT TALKS UP
FOR GOOD ROADS
ConvictS Ought TO Work the
County Highways
SOLUTION OF PROBLEM
1t Helps the County and 1t Helps the
convlct-Economloal and HUI
name Reasons Why System
Should BE Adopted.
SOLUTION OF PROBLEM

Judge H. Austill, John Craft and ]. P.
Wilson of Mobile, members of the Outer
Bar association. stopped in Birmingham
yesterday en- route to Washington. where
they are going to appear before the sub
committee Of the river and harbor COM
mittee of congress and urge an appropria-
ton of s25O,OOO to obtain a s5-fot channel
for the outer bar of Mobile bay.
While in Birmingham the committee
conferred with B. M. Allen, president Of
the Outer Bar association.
Mr.. Craft is the president of the South
Alabama Good Roads association and
vice president of the National Good
Roads association He is one of the well
informed men In the state on the good
roads problem, having made o close
study of this question, and speaks inter-
estingly of the way to obtain good roads
and their Importance to the community
and country.
The County Roads.
IT am pleased to see that The Age
Herald has taken up the question of
working the county convicts on the
roads," he said. After close study of
the convict question for several years
L am assured that the best solution OF
the convict problem lies in that direction
placing them at work on the public high
ways.
First let US consider the Importance OF
good roads and their relation to the COM
There is no doubt that they are fore
runners Of good schools, churches rural
free delivery of mail and other things
that go to make up the social side OF
life.
THAT good roads are potent agen-
cies In developing the country financial
ly and industrially is unauestioned. Moth
ing enhances the value of land more
than the building of good highways"
Results of Experiments.
From various experiment over the
country" continued Mr.. Craft, ut has
been proven that it takes "a per cent.
of the price of the farmers products
to market them. taking for an average
a Emile haul, on the poor roads that OBJ
tain in most of the districts Of Alabama.
With improved macadamized roads 1t has
been estimated that the products on an
average haul of seven miles could be
marketed for per cent. of the price
of the commodity. This itself would be
a saving of many thousands of dollars to
the farmers of Alabama, providing good
roads be constructed.
1.-THE strongest reason why convicts
should be worked on the public roads,
are that 1t would insure state control of
the county convicts and would be much
cheaper to the county than by contract.
L have gathered considerable informa-
ton as to the conduct of the convicts
that are worked on the highways, and
I know of no incident where the con-
victs have committed any outrages Of
property or persons.
A Case In Georgia.
where the convicts have worked on the
roads with success Is In Richmond coun-
ty, Georgia. For twenty years the coun-
ty officials have worked convicts and
the plan has indeed worked we'll. The
county can pay for guarding, feeding and
caring for the convicts at a cost of %
to "a cents a day. Under the contract
plan, the cost paid to laborers would be
from 81 to 81 per day. SO you see what
a remarkable saving, this would be-"