The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-03-29
WAKE ROADS WORSE
THAN IN YEARS PAST

This condition has been due IN part
to excessive rains and increased tFal-
lie. but largely TO the method, or lach
OF method and management III deat-
ing with the roads. IN TINS Lie LAY"
may also be at fault.
1t is not my intention to crltleise
adversely any individual Il IN 4 gen
erai way To point out some delects
and to offer. if | may. some helpfui
suggestions. And what I shall say
Is in TO sense applicable 70 the build
ing and maintenance OF graYel ana
nacadam roads. in which [ have ilau
no experience and little observation:
but wish to consider only the cross
roads and shborhood ds-W
lie near the homes and hearts OF a
large majority of the rural citizens
of our county. Certainly these roads
are entitled to more and better con-
~sideration than they receive.
The statement has been made. ana
I think. generally accepted. that there
are twenty-five hundred miles of
roads within the county. Perhaps not
twenty-five miles Of this IS good
macadam road that will stand traf-
twenty-five to fifty miles, perhaps,
has received more, OF less, attention
in grading and ~graveling. So there
must be at least twentv-three hundred
OF the twenty-five hundred miles bad
" neglected, or that has received no
expert attention, Notwithstanding the
polls and property along this long
neglected mileage pay taxes equal
with the more favored sections.
OF course it is understood that for
many years To come there must be
favored sections and these sections
must be the approaches to the county
seat and to the leading direct thor
oughfares. Rome was not built in Il
day" bat much can be done to lessen
the toll paid by citizens of the deep
rural districts. which is directly
chargeabie TO bad roads.
But, It IS averred, that the citizens
Of these now neglected dictricts could
have better roads If they would take
more interest in them. Exactly, And
that is the point I am now approach
ing TO show that it is so, why it is SO,
and the remedy.
To prove thai interest is lacking,
one has only to travel through the
rural districts and observe otherwise
reasona bic neglect. A cas- in point:
A few days ago I was passing by
the home Of a friend who owns a
nice farm and lea the dwelling was
a little depression where the water
The little ditch, ordinarily
sufficient. had filled with trash and
pended the water, and the passing
traffic a worn several bad holes.
the owner, who had
been watching nae tug through the
mud, [ asked as pleasantly as I knew
how. Friend. why don't you open
the ditch and fill up these ho,es:" To
which he replied. Its the county's
business But / %ventured, Il would
think you would do it for the sake Of
NDYlP nice farm - do nothjnr nf tho
he replied. Il pay as much
taxes and work the road as much as
anybody else" This may be an x
treme case. but il is certain thai much
Of the same spirit pervades the rural
Why does this state Of mind exist?
several eason perhaps. The
people get confused and irrit1ted over
the constant changes in the law, they
do not become familiar with one be-
fore another is presented. / am not
charging this to the fault of any law
makers. or advisory committee; for
we have all been at seat in this mat
ter. But 1t Is a act hat since the
Of the old system, in an eff
fort to eyolye the best possible plan.
we have presented only a k~aleidosco-
pic panorama which changes every
time it turns and turns every time
the legislature meets, The reflected
scene are beautiful, but composed
only Of a few bits OF broken glass diff
~ferentiy arranged.
Here are some Of the changes we
have had While paying taxes all the
time we ave during one interval re-
CURED the rural tax aye between
the ages of Il and As to work the
road a certain number OF days in each
yea TAI paid them for it During
another interval we made a like re-
quirement and paid q different per
diem, with the option Of working or
paying a forfeit into the road fund
One interval we hired labor indis-
cri1ninately. Now we are requiring
u able bodied rural tax payers to
work four days in each year and pay
them nothing for it. This last is the
hardest and most unequal propOsi-
ton we have had. It to an
annual poll tax of $500 per year, al
lowing S1.OO per day for labor, in ad-
dition to the regular assessment Of
poll and property tax and in excess
OF h a which is paid by citizens Of