The Paducah sun., 1906-03-30
Former Mayor Lang Says We
Should Have Many.
Show the Benefits That Accrue From
Good Roads Into Every
Town.
THE FARMERS WANT THEM

Former Mayor James NJ. Lang has
just returned from a trip through
the county and Graves county in the
interest of his stock food business,
and a representative of The Sun,
knowing that he could speak with
authority on the subject, asked him
today about the condition of the
county roads and what he thought
of the proposition of the fiscal court
not reducing the county tax rate thi.
year, but taking the 5 or 10c which
It finds the rate can be reduced, and
applying IL to the construction of
gravel roads for the county.
81 want to say, first" he replied,
that County Judge Lightfoot and
Road Supervisor johnson deserve
great credit, and the thanks of the
people of the city and county, for
the uniform good condition of the
roads. and. especially, for the gravel
roads that have been put down un-
der their administrations. | was sur
prised at the condition of some of
the roads. Roads that / know were
notorious for being impossible at
this season of the year ! found grav-
eled and better than most of our
city streets found this the case
not only once. but IN numerous pla-
ces. and 1t is certainly good to see.
81 went over roads that you could
use your Sunday go-to-meeting bug
gy on right now, when the roads are,
as a rule, bad, and never hurt it.
And the people appreciate them, too.
Just as an Illustration of the bene-
fits OF good roadG, shall cite you to
what learned in two or three neigh-
bOrhOods of Graves county--neigh-
borhoods that should under normal
conditions be territory for the May
field merchants. learned that in sew
eral of the neighborhoods the people
are planning to build gravel roads of
their own to the McCracken county
roads as the people say it would be
far easier then to come TO Paducah,
than to go to Mayheld. And | agree
with them. Does that not speak, and
speak loudly for good roads?
LET us have all the gravel roads
In the county we can, | say, and let
us build them as soon as we can for
there is nothing as beneficial for the
citizens. The gravel roads make IT.
easy for the farmers to come to town
with their products. and this adds to
the volume of such products and low
ers the prices. Thus. | hold, good
roads are benefit to the housekeep-
1 ers of the city in very great measure.
They are as valuable to the black
smith on Kentucky avenue, or the ma
chinist at the shops, as they are for
| the county people as they, in this
way. make for lower prices on food
supplies.
"'rhe city, too, is more benefited
by good roads than tne county peo
pie for this reason. Take the Clark
River road as an example. Is 1t oil
any benefit to the people living on
the Cairo road? None. But how
. about the city? It is for the city be-
I cause it enables the people on this
i road to come to town to sell and buy
and Is, too, of benefit to the people
on the road Take all the roads
around town, and you will agree
that they benefit only the people OF
these roads and the city, and. there
fore. | contend that the city is by fal
Il the greatest reaper of benefits iron
the good roads than the county citi
zens.
"Eyerywhere / went | found the
people anxious for good roads 81
they could get to the city, and
think the citizens should agree tha
they should have them. Nothing vii
n do more to build up the town thar
good roads running into 1t, and,
say let us build all the good grave
Il roads into Paducah that are necessa
ry. The results that will accrue from
the stimulation to the retail trade
and the savings it will bring abou
by the lower price of food product
will more than Offset the outlay IL
taxes"