Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-12-10
WILL GARRY OUT
GRAND JURY IDEA
To Build Good Roads With
AmeriCuS as Center.
Radiating in All Direc-
tions, Reaching All
Parts of County.


al 10 OA &OOAAIys
10 feature of the grand jury pre-
sentiments published in the Times-Re-
corder yesterday was read with more
interest by the general public than
that section relating to the road i'm
provements of the county. approving
what has already been done with no
uncertain voice and heartily COM
mending the plans that have been
laid for the future.
doubtless grew out of the fact that a
few dissatisfied citizens had made
complaint to the grand jury that roads
were neglected in certain sections. If
any roads have been neglected it has
certainly not been part of the policy
of the County Commissioners. The
scheme of the Board has been to keep
all roads passable, but instead of
wasting time and money in patchwork
all over the county to push the work
every year on two or three roads, re-
building them, reducing them to a
level draining them perfectly, hard
ening them, and otherwise making
them into as fine highways as can he
built of clay and sand, the native soils.
BY concentrating the county forces
in this way magnificent work of per-
manent character has resulted, the
Smithville, Lee street extended and
Plains roads being samples of what
can be looked for under such an in
telligent management of the county's
resources.
Considered Complaints.
The grand jury took under consid-
Grafton the complaints that were made
and in referring to them took occa-
sion to commend most highly the
plan the commissioners have adopted
of asinSuhmericse rfsrsa ffsr central point
and working outwar, VIC rions
4Frh~.s:n the country, thereby -,
70 all our citizens the benefit of good
roads in the quickest possible way"
referring to some citizens who are
dissatisfied because they have not had
good roads at once, it being, of course,
physically and financially impossible
for the commissioners to build roads
in every direction and to every part
Of the county at one time, the grand
jury expressed itself as follows:
ITO those of our citizens who feel that
the time of their being benefited by
good roads is in the distant future, we
will say, that fifteen goods roads lead
ing from Americus to the county line
in various directions, will give every
citizen the benefit of good roads in
his own locality and that at the pres
ent rate the work Is being done, these
roads can be built In two to three
years.
This body realizes that it is impos-
sible for road improvements to be 60
ing on in all parts of the county at
the same time, and we ask for our
commissioners the consideration and
patience from our citizens that fair
minded reasoning entities them to-
Commissioners Gratified.
Naturally it is gratifying to the
County Commissioners to have such
public recognition of their efforts
toward giving Sumter a complete sys-
tenn Of good roads," said Chairman
Frank Sheffield yesterday after he had
read the presentments. "The com
missioners will undoubtedly be in
spired to further efforts in this di'
rection and to persevere in their work
along this line during the remainder
of their term of Office. Our sole pur.
pose is to promote the public inter
est To that end we have endeavored
to promote a system Of roads that will
eventually bring every resident o
Sumter county within easy access o
an improved highway that will per
init of his reaching market quickly
and economically with his products
No district will be sighted, but it is
manifestly beyond our power to reacl
every district inside of one or -tWt
years All that we can do is to en-
deavor each year to so broaden thu
radius reached by the improved road!
as to make them serve an increasing
ly large number of our citizens. Tha
is what we propose to do.
Approves Grand Jury Idea.
THE grand jury's idea as to the con
I struction of system of about fifteel
| good roads, leading out from Ameri
Gus as a centre, somewhat like tn
hub and spokes of a wheel, is exactl
| what we have in mind The averag
length of a road in Sumter county ca
be put at about twenty miles. FIJI
teen good roads means three hundre
miles of improved highway, say thirt
feet wide, patterned after those a
ready built. We have constructe
about forty miles this year. Now thu
we have our bearings, our convi;
force we'll organized and well haT
died, and the experience already az
quired to guide us, | see no reaso
why fifty miles of fine highways ;
this tvpe should not be built ever
year. inside of five years, then, Sun