The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-01-30
STATE AID
70 R GOOD ROADS
North Carolina Legislature Asked
for S25o,ooo Annual APP
preparation.
PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED
Strong Forces at Work in Behalf
OF Permanent Road
Building.
PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED
Special to The Times Dispatch. |

| pulnHS Witn huSplClOuS unanlIlllty 1oI
| good roads than ever before in the his
tory of the state, and public sentiment
/ for permanent road building through a
| combination of State aid and county
and township bond issues is being
| made with surprising rapidly. 1t is
| the State educational campaign of
| state aid and local taxation, SO won
derfully successful the past ten years.
over again as applied to the good
roads problem. And although scarcely
more than just inaugarated. there is
every assurance that 1t will be no less
successful than has been the campaign
| for the Improvement of schools.
! In the State wide campaign for road
| Improvement there are the North Car
| DINA Good Roads Association and the
| State Geological and Economic Survey,
| both led in this road campaign by
DR.. Joseph Hyde Pratt. state Geoo-
gist to the Geological and Economic
Survey and secretary of the State
Good Roads Association; the State AS
ISOLATION of County Commissioners un-
der the leadership of c. Il. Toy, Of
Newbern. These are in addition to tho
North Carolina Press Association and
a number of other State organizations
that never allow an opportunity to
pass for putting in effective effort
for good roads.
While North Carolina is at this time
doing ridiculously small part in the
way of state aid for road building.
only $4,000 year, in fact. for a little
inadequate engineering as
sistance. this Is being judiciously dis
tributed throughout the State in such
a way as to best awaken public senti-
ment for State aid and the leaven is
working with amazing rapidly, as in
dicated by the discussion in the State
Good Roads Conference held here the
past week. At this conference it was
pointed out by numerous speakers that
States of the Union are
providing very largely for State aid
in road building, some of the States
appropriating from Sl,000.000 to $780,
100000 for this purpose. The action of
the State of Virginia. SO long regarded
as backward in road building, In APP
s25OoO0 annually for this
purpose was commented on most ia
vorabiy. there being declared to be
every indication that the Old Domin
ion will very soon. under the leader
ship of patriotic statesmen and that
chief champion of good roads for vir-
ginia. The Times-Dispatch, more than
double this appropriation and take
other forward steps in road building.
Through Road Construction.
DR.. Joseph Hyde Pratt, who Is really
the head and front of the good roads
movement in North Carolina, declared
in the road conference the past week
that one of the very best recent devel-
in the good roads movement
in this State is the tendency toward
of through roads," PEN
Grating series of counties. each CO.
operating In the construction of the ,
road to the best economic advantage
He said that three such roads are al
ready projected through Buncombe
county, one of them extending as far
as Winston-Salem Bun
combe county, he said. was the very
first county in the State to pass reso-
lutions pledging to cooperate in this
through road construction. He de-
clared that nothing has so encouraged
him in this campaign work for good
roads building as this action on the
part of Buncombe county, setting the
pace for other counties in this impor-
-ant work.
That Guilford county's bond issue of
100000 is already worth not less than
100000 to Guilford county was tho
declaration of Glenn
Wright, of Greensboro. in the State
Dad conference. lie declared that
Durham, Mecklenburg. CASTOR, Bun
onbe and all the other counties in the
state investing most extensively in
good roads accord unanimous decla-
'atlons that good roads are the best
paying investments of public funds,
lie urged the necessity Of campaign
II education in good roads benefits. to
make sure that the members of the
next Legislature will be backed by
ample public sentiment for warranting
adequate appropriations for State aid
and other legislation needed to further
good roads interests.
lie reminded the conference or thu
fact that 1t required hard three days
fight in the Senate to pass the act
for even the picayune sum OF $4,000 for
engineering aid in BODYBUILDING. And,
even then. it was necessary for the
Lieutenant-Gover to cast the decid-
Ing vote. He voted against the bill
first, and then changed his vote to
save 1t.
Members OF the conference thought
that this fight in the Legislature had
really benefited tho cause by arousing
leaders in good road work to the
necessity of redoubled effort, the fruits
of which was evident on every hand,
Appropriation OF $4,000 Asked For.
This conference manifested It's faith
In the next General Assembly, calling
on it to appropriate not less than
s250,000 annually for state aid. There
were members of tho conference who
insisted that as much as $4,000, 600
should be asked for, but the general
sentiment was that the Legislature
would not hesitate to provide the
$4,000 annually, and only this amount
should be asked for. Tho conference.
furthermore, called on the Legislature
to provide for the working Of the
state convlcts on the roads, as is now
done in Virginia and number OF
the other States, the counties using
them to pay a reasonable per diem;
also that ample provision be made
for engineering assistance to tho
counties in road huilding. all roads
constructed through state aid to be
approved as to location and speclfi-
cations by tho State road engineers.
People generally seem confident that
the next Legislature will not do less
than provide the Legislation outlined.
a factor of very great value In tho
general awakening OF interest In good
roads is the automobile hlghway
movements. travcrsing three sections
OF the STATE, arousins not only the
people on the immediate lines OF these