Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1904-07-02
Mississippi State News



The chief topic Of discussion be
fore the Mississippi Business Men,
League in session at Jackon las
week was Good Roads" and il
brought out very interesting dis
cus'ion. The importance Of better
public roads was fully emphasized
by the delegates, and numerous sug.
gestlons were made whereby the
roads of The State can be improved
The first address was assigned tc
Prof. W. l.. llutchison, director Of
Mississippi agricultural experiment
station. Prof. lIutchison was un.
able to be present in person, as he
is now serving with the special com
mlttcc appointed to locate the new
agricultural experiment stations,
but he sent an address to President
Mckee, from which VIC take the
following:
mississippi has about $4,000 miles
Of public roads but this great work
has no business head or manage.
ment. An army has general, and
even farm has manager. If You
would have good roads in this State.
do those things that will result In Civ
ing us a good man to organize and di
rect this work.
Some parts Of the public roads in
this State are properly located and
some are not. Some parts Of these
roads are good all the time; some are
bad all the time; and still other divis-
Ions are bad for part OF the year
and good for part of the year. Some
would represent them as being all bad
but such is not the case. Practically
all the people in the State know wnat
good roads are. Many Of them know
what 1t is to be hcmmed in for q sea.
son by bad roads. However those
very people may travel over tho very
best of roads at other seasons Of the
yeai.
Some people get tho idea that good
roads mean hard surfaced roads, and
they know that these are expensive,
What We really need, and should have
Is good earth or dirt roads properly
located, shaped, graded and drained.
If we had % 900 miles Of such roads
we would nave many thousands OF
miles that would be good all the time,
and then make the bad places good
by the use Of other materials.
Farmers learn things by seeing
them. and they have centuries of
training in this Build object-lesson
earth roads in every county such as
YOU think the State should have Make
n plain and simple statement show
ing the cost Farmers accept good
things when they read or hear of
them
Good roads are made by contract,
and during the past four or five years
much progress has been made in this
regard Perhaps half the counties in
this State now work their roads by
contract This is long step forward.
"Our roads havo largely been To-
Gated by chance on accident, Nothing
be better located in some sections.
This should be done with as little de-
lay as possible
"It pays sometimes to borrow
money, Nations borrow money, mu-
inequalities borrow money, individuals
borrow money Bonds are issued to
build capitols and school houses, to
pave streets, to erect lighting plants,
to build plants for furnishing supply
of water, and for sewerage, Good
roads constitute one of the most per.
manent improvements, Good roads
enhance the value of property, They
cannot be built without some money,
and they perhaps should not be built
wholly on a cash basis, as future gen
eraions will be benefited by them and
will doubtless need them very much
worse than we do. 1t may not be our
duty TO finish and complete this work,
but it is our duty to begin it and to
start right"