The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-06-29

For several years Mr.. Robert l..
Holt. a successful cotton manufacture
er Of Alamance county; Mr.. Glenn G..
Wright, a public spirited citizen Of
Greensboro; Il other citizens who
know the value of good roads have
been advocating building a Great
State Highway through North Caro-
lima. At the last session Of the Legis-
lature, a bill introduced by Senator
Klnttz, made an appropriation for en-
Sineers to act with the county authori-
ties in making highways. In the alb
sence Of funds in the State Treasury,
the Legislature did not authorize &
bond issue to carry out the idea set
forth in a memorial signed by leading
citizens.
they pay handsomely on every dollar
invested in their construction. The
talk about an Automobile Route from,
North to South has helped to stimu-
late new interest in road building and
this interest is touching counties that
have heretofore been apparently indif-
ferent to the value of making good
roads. This paper has printed several
sensible articles on good roads from
MIR. Robert T.. Holt, of Alamance
county. The following from his pen
is most timely:
GREAT STATE HIGHWAY.
To the Editor: There is so much
agitation at the present time and such
a demand throughout the entire State
for improved and modern highways
that l think it high time that we
should ask fo- State aid in construct
ing and maintaining modern high
ways.
Today we find many of our coun-
ties issuing bonds for permanent road
building, and they are constructing
very fine modern roads. These coun-
ties are the most progressive and
Wealthiest in the State. We all realize
o good roads increase the popula-
ton and wealth Of the localities
through which they pass and / deem
it useless to dwell on his point.
1t is a fact that the best roads now
under construction are built by con-
tract. and pom investigation we find
this is true. due to the fact that the
contractors who are doing the work
have an ample force of a~ble-bodied,
we'll trained help, and their success in
building the best roads and making
TOR themselves a profit is due largely
to this fact. We find the most sue
cessful contractors working the same
force of trained builders years in and
year out and the longer they keep
their trained help the more prosper
Gus the contractor.
1t appears to me that if North
Carolina would take steps to work
her cOnvictS in construction and
maintaining, what would be known as
the State Highways we would be
taking a great step forward. Now.
near quite an argument against work
ing conVicts on the roads,; tina it is a
faliure. etc. l Will agree that the
present county system in most Of the
counties in which it is tried is a fail
ure TO q large extent, and due TO the
TACT that, IN these counties. the road
1orce to a large degree is composed Of
WeakllngS. hObOeS, and degenerateS
sent to the roads for petty o~ffenses. for
from thirty to sixty days, and they are
not desirable help nor are they able
TO do this work, and their time ex-
pres before they are either seasoned
Tor the work or trained to do it. With
tne State cOnVictS it is different. We
una IN our penltentiary hundreds of
as laborers as the world
can produce. serving terms ranging
from three to thirty years. Ideal road
oulloers these. AS I before stated. the
success OF road building depends on
az ample force Of trained and able
pouled men. Here we have both and
we could depend on this force stay-
Ing at work year in and year ont