The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-03
FOR GOOD ROADS
ALL SHOULD WORK
COMBINE CONVICT FORCES
AND COL. MELDRTM BELIEVES PRO-
JECT COULD BE CARRIED OUT.

At Present Counties Adjoining Chat
ham Do Not Work Their own Com
victs-CoI. MeIdrim's Plan Is to
Have These Counties Combine
Their Convict Forces and Estab-
Iish "a Single Camp-Suggests Di-
rect Public Highway Through
Each County.
With the agitation of good roads
schemes all over the South. few plans
have been adopted that have proven as
feasible as one suggested recently at a
meeting of the Good Roads Committee
of the Chamber of Commerce, and the
PREPARATIONS that are now under way
for the carrying out of this scheme bid
fair to be productive.
There are, however, difficulties to be
considered which may make it neces-
sary to change the details of the plan,
so far as concerns the several counties
adjacent to Chatham, where there are
no regularly organized convict camps,
and where the convicts are leased to
the state, or private individuals.
The plan which was suggested at the
meeting of the Chamber of Commerce
committee merely outlined the end de-
sired and not the manner of attaining
it, The plan suggested, and which re-
ceived the Endorsement of the Chatham
county commissioners, was to have all
adjoining counties cooperate with
Chatham in extending the principal
public highways and improving them.
What is meant by improvements is to
have them paved as the principal roads
of this county are now paved.
Should BE Given suggestions.
Col. p. w. Meldrim, who is familiar
with the facilities of the counties in
which it is proposed to have this plan
worked, believes that in asking the CO.
operation of the smaller and weaker
counties they should be assisted in the
way of suggestions. and even in ma
terial aid to carry out the plans con-
sidered most advisable.
Col Meldrims plan is to construct
great public highways through the adj
joining counties without favor to any
property owners, making them on a
straight line with lateral roads, tap
ping them at convenient intervals.
when you start to building roads to
suit every property owner" said Col
Meldrim, in discussing the plan, you
will find that before you have finished
it will have been necessary to run
zigzag line all over the county, and
then no one is satisfied.
Want Organized Working Force.
ITO arrive at the ends sought by the
Chamber of Commerce committee 1t
would be necessary to have a large or
ganized working force to put the roads
of adjoining counties in shape, and TO
extend them to meet the roads of Chat
ham. In the counties around Chatham
where, / understand it is is desired to
construct these improved highways,
there are no organized camps of con-
victs, and / doubt if any of these would
undertake to support such camps.
The convicts i'm these small counties
are leased to the state, or to privale
individuals. The total number of con-
victs of these counties would be suf-
ficient to establish a paying camp to
take up the work of getting the roads
in shape Systematically, and could be
apportioned as to work according to the
number furnished by each county
First, l would suggest the building of
a direct public highway through each
county, and when this work is finished
lateral roads could be built as best
suit the interest of property holders.
Il believe that this is the only FEAST
Bile solution of the plan in this imme-
date section, and l have no doubt that
it will prove d popular one to the small
er counties who derive little from their
convicts as they are now leased