Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-01-24
SENSIBLE ROAD TALK.
Dr.. T. A. Crawford Comments on Farm
ers' Union Resolutions.
Rock Hill Herald


Rock Hill Herald.
Mr.. Editor: 1 noticed a few days
ago the report in your paper Of the
action taken by the York County Far
mers' Association in reference to the
condition Of our public roads, and the
passage of resolutions Q take 1t un-
animously) signifying their willing
ness to tax themselves to obtain them.
l have hoped for this spirit to take
possession Of the people for many
years, and am delighted to read these
resolutions. 1t Is a reflection on the
intelligence of the people Of York
county to have submitted for so many
years to the waste of money that has
gone by our chain gang system, NOV
ing as 1t does from township to town.
ship doing temporary work, which is
more often an injury to the road than
otherwise. I do not honestly believe
that all the work done by the chain
gang in the past twelve or fifteen
years (costing as 1t does seven or
eight thousand dollars a year, in all
the townships in the county leaving
out q few miles Of permanent work,
which was made possible by private
subscriptions from public spirited cit
izens, Is worth one thousand dollars.
1t costs a good deal to make perma-
nent road but there Is no investment
that will pay such returns in saving
Of time, comfort, etc., to man, and
the wonderful enhancement in the
value of his land. Wherever a perfect
road reaches 1t from your main mar
ket that land doubles in value at once.
This cannot be denied. What Is the re-
suit? Large farms are divided into
several small ones and each made to
produce as much as the whole did be-
fore, and each worth as much as the
whole was; better mail facilities, bet
ter rural school facilities, church and
every thing else, even to getting a
doctor quick in this day Of telephones
es and automobiles. when the baby
gets suddenly sick. But enough OF this
about which every man and woman
Is familiar. What 1 want to say Is
that now Is the time to start the work
Don't you see that Charlotte Is reach
ing out her good roads to York coun-
tvs line to call our people that way?
Chester, on the other side, Is building
her good roads to the south border
of York county to get our people from
that side. and is succeeding In getting
money. I heard few days ago that
Chester was preparing to build a per-
manent road, the old Saluda, for a
distance of ten miles with steel
bridge over South Fork, and still our
people sit idle. We tried to be pioneers
in road building several years ago,
and to stimulate that spirit at great
surprise to some, enterprising people
did build about ten miles, but Tor
want of proper support had to drop
the work, with the result that we
stimulated our neighbors to our In
Jury. l would like to see the people OF
the county vote tax of sufficient mills
or funds at the earliest time possible.
and expend in each township the full
amount 1t pays to the treasury, Tor
such work and this work to be done
by contract or by chain gang, remov-
ed from political influence If possible.
The cost of road building in the i've
sections, where grading is light is
less than many suppose. In many
places gravel can be obtained which
makes a splendid road and is cheaper
than stone. The average cost In such
sections need not reach $1,000 a mile
T. A. Crawford.