The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-09-02
r Good Roads. T
N%
An Interesting Address.

ing at Columbia and took action on
several matters tending toward the
betterment of roads in that State.
Among the addresses was n by B.
T. Taylor, president of the Columbia
Chamber of Commerce, who gave
facts which are of general interest in
connection with highawy improve
nent. Mr.. Taylor said:
Gentlemen: It gives me great
pleasure to welcome you all here to-
day. The city Of Columbia, and IL
fact every city, depends more largely
upon good roads for it's prosperity
than upon anything else. Roads are
the feeders by which the great popu-
lations of cities are supplied with the
necessities of life and in a great meas
ure the trade of such cities is depend
ent upon the roads for their outgoing
commerce. There is another aspect
of the road question which has arisen
in recent years that directly affects
the population of cities. These roads
are in a great measure the play
grounds of the people, and in COM
munities like Massachusetts, in addi-
ton to maintaining the roads, the
commonwealth provides magnificent
parks alongside OF them. In this
country the density Of our population
has not reached the point where it is
necessary to make artificial parks, for
our natural woodlands and streams
furnish these in a more beautiful form
than the hand of man can provide.
There is possibly more interest
taken now in good roads than in any
phase of our development, but the
United States is possibly yet more
backward than any country Of It's
size and population in the world. AS
far back as history can record good
roads have been one of the principal
items Of internal improvement, and in
the case of Rome they did not confine
this to Italy but extended the roads
to the utmost bounds of the empire.
I'm this country, where We have
been willing to spend large sums Of
money, inexperience and lack of Or
ganization have caused a partial or
total waste of the money and in some
sections where the community was
fully able to do work it has not been
done, due to a lack Of knowledge of
what could be accomplished. OF the
100000 being expended annually
in the United States the greater por-
ton is by men who have practically
no knowledge Of road-building and
who are acting under systems totally
obsolete and inadequate. With $780,
900 miles of road to keep up the
necessity for competent engineers and
managers is clearly seen. Such men
are often hard to procure and it
therefore is absolutely necessary ; at
such meetings as we are having here
to-day should be had frequently for
the purpose of exchanging ideas and
educating the men engaged in this
most important work.
Along this line 1 should like to
suggest that the cost Of roads Is q
very important item and that for the
purpose of seeing that our roads are
properly constructed at the least pos
sible cost every board Of commission
ers should require Of the supervisor
q statement showing the cost per
square yard of road built under him
each year, and this should be COM
pared with the tables Of cost given
by the national Government, and with
those of other supervisors in our
State.
ut is estimated that the average
cost of hauling baled cotton by wagon
from the farm to the market is fifteen
cents per hundred. With better roads
this can be reduced to at least ten
cents, a saving of five cents per 100.
South Carolina produces five hundred
million pounds Of lint cotton. With
a saving of five cents per 100 the
farmers would save on the cotton
crop Of this State alone s250,000.
"Other crops would probably in
crease this amount to approximately
S1,500,00O Now the cost of hauling
cotton by rail twenty miles is ten
cents in this State. I do not think
any one will deny that an improve
ment of our roads all over the State
would reduce the freight rates on the
railroads to a very considerable ex-
tent. Road building therefore does
not stop at the actual expense of haul
ing, but 1t goes farther than that. 1t
forces competing methods of trans
portation to reduce their rates.
There is another aspect of this
matter that is. most important. The
building of roads of a good character
practically means that real estate
now remote from cities is brought
nearer to the market, and consequent
ly increases in value. Think what an
enormous profit it would be to add
IS to the value Of every acre of land
in South Carolina. I believe, gentle
men, that when our roads are reason
ably good this will be done, and that
each and every one of you will re-
ceive the thanks and commentator
of the people Of this State"