The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1904-10-12

| wv wi L the recent lntefn0tl0na
~ Good Roads convention, a
III N st. Louis, Hon. Frank L
4 a Nevins, of the Unite
EM ms States Postoflice Depart
ment, delivered an address
in which he said:
The establishment of the rural fre
delivery Of mail throughout the cour
try has produced marked improve
mcnt in the condition of the highway:
| When there is Il prospect Of rural fire
| delivery in community, work immC
dlately begins on the roads. Their
are now III operation $4,000 rura
routes over which carriers travel $50
600 miles delivering mail to abou
100000 people. More than 1900
bridges have be constructed owe
streams that would not have bee
built if 1T had not been for the estal
| lishmcnt Of the free delivery system
Nearly every portion of the country
where road conditions will warrant il
is now supplied with this service. Bu
in many sections the bad conditions O
the roads, or the lack of bridges, pre-
vent the extension of The service. Th
rural carrier Of n standard routo !
now expected 10 travel about twenty
five miles each dav to onrn his sol,O'
of $500 year. He is required 10 f
nish ana maintain his own outfit AZ
team, and TO give a bond OF 5000
the faithful performance of his duti
ENDrytencn has demonstrated thot Il
distance is TOO great ON account of Io
bad condition of the rods. So MD
carriers have RESIGNED. ihprahy coN
ing much confusion ana labor in
department, that the CONGRESS- inst :,
iourncd has been compellcd 10
$17O a vany to the salaries of tbc j.
ricrs of The country. This incrcasd
salaries amounts TO about $I.OO0OOA
year additional that the depar,mb
has TO nay TO maintain this scryicrl
account of bad roads. over Il II
gravclcd or macadumiZed pike ROAD
carrier can easily make twcnty-fv
miles Il day six times Il week. VIII
the roads MS they are, it is Il question
whether the next Congress will not b
called uDon TO add another SI ,OGU, co.
TO the salaries of the carriers.
Under the road laws of most of tn
Western States at the present tim
work is done upon the roads in the ral
by the various road districts, whcI
there is no work to be done on tn
farms. In the spring this work disap
pears. Nothing permanent remains
and the roads are in us bad condition
or worse, than they were before. III
cost OF $1,000 TO $4,000 a mile for tn
construction OF hard roads in thi
Western country is too great, in mos
instances, for road districts, township
and counties to bear; neither is it rich
that they should bear the entire cost
The public at large which share
directly or indirectly in the benefits
should contribute TO the expense
There never will he good roads in thi
country until the National Government
takes the initiative in this movement
and the respective States of the Uniol
join i'll with liberal contributions, anI
this again is supplemented by local ell
tcrprSc. Continental Europe, Englan,
and Ireland are covered with har,
broad pixies built at the expense of til
governments of those countries. NJ
country in the world ever yet bad o
ever Will have permanent ana pasSabl
highways constructed ana maintaine,
D% local authority.
N!At! per cent. OF the population o
TINS country lives in the cities and vii
lagos; forty per cent lives in the coun
ily. ii - not lalr or Just TO place tn