Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-05-12
WOULD ISSUE BONDS.
Citizens in Washington and Meri.
wether Townships Interested
in Building Highway to
Augusta.

The following appeared in the Au.
gusta Chronicle last week, being an
interview with Mr.. Fl. G. Middleton
who is public spirited and deeply
interested in road Improvement,
having agitated the qaestion for a
number of years:
There is considerable interest in
Washington and Meriwether town
ships in Edgefeld county across the
river in favor of the issuance of
township bonds for the building
of main graded highway from
about Parksville, S. G., 80 miles up
the river, to the county line, about
six miles above Augusta, and a
branch or main road through the
northern and eastern part of Meri-
wether township.
I'VE have a fertile and attractive
country" saida resident of that sec
ton yesterday, but because of our
bad roads our section is behind in
development. Usually we can haul
only two bales of cotton with two
mules to Augusta, to market. We
want main market road over which
we and stangers can travel with ra-
pidity and pleasure. But we have
come to the conclusion it is imprac-
ticable for our county to build them
for us, so we are considering build
ing them ourselves by issuing town
ship bonds. We want roads while
we are living they will do us very
little good after we ara dead. And
a good many favor the early issuing
of bonds to do it. BY that method
we can let the construction Of the
roads out by contract and in Is
months or two years have them com
pleted and be riding over them.
That is what we want.
I'VE are merely discussing the
subject now. If a majority of our
voters come to favor the idea, we
can hold an election and have the
whole thing through with and the
road work begun in less than year
from now.
''Our county is hilly; our roads
were located hundred years ago
without engineering, and run up and
down hill; the roads consequently
wash and are usually pretty bad.
THE idea among those who have
approved the matter so far is to first
have the main highway properly
laid out, by an experienced highway
engineer from the north so as to
avoid steep places as much possible,
and to save as much work and cost
of construction as possible, at the
same time serving the. townships in
the best manner. We.want to de
fer to expert knowledge; then to
grade this main road. 1t would
run froms about. two miles above
Parksyille to Fox's creek, (the Aiken
county line) about six miles above
Augusta. Taken aprolerly located
branch, or an additional road would
be built into the eastern and north
ern part of Meriwether township.
I'VE believe that $50, 900 will do
this grading pretty well. 1t would
not give us a road surfaced with
gravel or fine rock, but fine graded
road. The bonds can be issued for
twenty-five years and placed at 5
per cent. We think we can arrange
it so that we will have to pay only
$4,000 to $15, 900 of the principal
at the end of twenty-five years, and
reissue the balance for another
twenty-five years, ETC., as many cities
do-taking fifty or more years to
pay the principal-the. cost of the
roads. Certainly, if we can place
the bonds now we can place the
greater part of the amount in new
bonds twenty-five years from now
to pay the old ones. Paying them
gradually in this way, the burden
will light. If an issue of $50, 900
will do it, the interest of $4,000
would be about $1,25o for each
township, and probably $3.50 each
per annum on the principal, amount
ing to a total of about 81, 500 year
to be raised in each township.
This will be a small amount compar-
ed to what we will save. in cur haul
ing besides bringing about the de-
velopment of our section.
"We have very fine agricultural
lands they are oak and hickory
red lands, in the main and capable
of the highest cultivation. Yet the
section is scarcely populated. 1t is
all because of the bad roads.
"Help us to agitate this subject
and get it before our people for their
thoughtful consideration, Town
ship road building is perfectly prac-
ticable. North and West. The re-