The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1907-12-31
FOR BETTER ROADS.
Resolutions to be Submitted to Meet
ing cf Rural Letter Carriers in
the Court House Tomorrow.

meeting I'M the court house here to-
morrow and respectfully ask that
you publish them 50 that the car
riars over the county may read them
and have their minds made up with
regard to them when they arrive
Wednesday morning. In this connee-
tion, l want every rural carrier in
the county who is interested in the
betterment Of the roads to be present
and help us to set on foot some
scheme that will Improve the co1-
dition Of the roads. This is getting
to be a serious question and demands
Of us all Of the consideration tnat
we can give it.
Here IS my scheme for roads cover
ed by rural routes:'
Whereas, we believe the present
system of working the public nigh
wavs is a failure, and, whereas, we
as rural letter carriers, are the great
est sufferers from bad roads, we feel
it eacumbent upon us to suggest re-
NEEDLES looking to the Improvement
Of the public roads covered by our
routes; therefore be it,
Resolved, 1st, That we petition our
representatives in the general as
sembly to alter or amend our pres
ent road law with regard to tne op-
tional feature Of the law which al,
lows a person subject to road duty to
work a number Of days or pay a
communication tax, and require the pay
ment of such communication tax with
out any other option whatever.
Resolved, 2ud, That in case our
representatives should fail or refuse
to abolish this optional feature OF
tha law. that we do hereby request
our patrons, as a special favor to. US
and as a benefit to themselves, to
nav the communication tav in lieu OF
working the required number OF days
on the roads.
Resolved. 3rd, That we do hereby
request the county supervisor to re-
serve the money collected as commu-
tatioa tax and apply such money TO
the Improvement of that section OF
road from which it was collected.
Resolved, 4tn, That wherever prac-
ticable and wherever so much as tel
miles of a public road is covered by
q rural route that We request the
county supervisor to hire an aole-
bodied man-white OF colored-to
work daily upon these ten miles at
a specified wage per month to be paid
ont of the communication tax fund col
1ectad from this road until such fund
is exhausted.
Resolved, 9Th, That the laborer 50
employed be required to report daily
TO the carrier and that the carrier be
allowed to direct the movement Oh
such laborer showing him where to
work and what kind Of work 1T Is
most desired to be done.
Resolved, 9Th, That wherever a Sec
ton of road is thickly populated ami
large communication tax fund ac-
crues tnerefrom, that two laborers
be employed to work. together, IN
stead of one.
| And, now, little amplitude with
regard to the these resolutions. am
aware that this scheme is an expert
ment and like all other experiments it
must run the gauntlet Of the critic
and the skeptic. If it should fail,
we will have lost nothing more than
we are losing already by our present
system, because it also is failure
a most lamentable failure; and, II 1t
should prove a success. then we have
certainly profited by the experiment.
Now, lets briefly review our pres
ent system of road working. The first
stumbling block is the option OF
working six days on the public roads
or of paying a communication tax OF
t!.r2e dollars. II a great many cases
person subject to road duty does
neither one. He does not pay the tax
in the hope that he may not be, warn
ed ont to work, or, if he should be, 1t
| NAV he for only one or two days and
/ he thereby figures on savinc couple
dollars. This is unfair and an injus-
tica to his neighbor who has paid the
! tax in full.
Again, wnen working the road the
hands accomnlish as little as possible,