The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-10-08
FARMING Interests
DEMAND GOOD ROADS
Both County And City Have Done
Their Part Towards Encouraging
Agricultural Development by I'M
proving Roads.

ludl the rOTreSt county bOarQ OF
| Supervisors is alive to the great i'm
portance of good roads, and sensible
to the important part they play in the
development of a country, is manifest
ed by the wonderful improvements
which have been made in the public
thoroughfares of the county during
the recent past.
Forrest county is just now becom-
ing to be recognized as an agricultural
section. Until the very recent past
the lumber industry overshadowed ev-
cry other consideration, and the ques-
ton of good roads" was new SO far
as this section was concerned. But
things have changed. Agriculture is
| becoming general, the public roads of
the county are being jotted here and
| there with the homes of farmers who
must haul their produce to market,
and they must have good thorough
fares over which to travel
Forrest county officials have feal-
lied that when a farmer must con-
sumo day or more coming to the
market with his produce, and is able
to bring only small load at that,
making necessary many trips because
of the impossible condition Of the
roads, something must be done, and
they have, therefore, taken steps to
furnish the necessary relief
The public highways of the county
are receiving the attention which they
deserve, and already many miles of
good roads have been constructed.
Good roads are essentially the far
mers highways and it is necessarily
his duty to maintain them in proper
proportion, but the relation of the
farmer to the urban resident and bus
mess man puts another side to the
question and placed the burden pro-
portionately upon the cities and
towns of the county.
Citizens of Hattiesburg were not
slow to realize this fact and the
Board of Mayor and Aldermen was
prompt to meet the requirements of
the circumstances. Where the coun-
ty constructed a macadam road across
Leaf river the city took up the work
and built a like road from the river
bridge to the business district. They
1snQ izn cd fhaf hA
economies possible under the i'm
proved conditions would outweigh by
far the burden of the tax measured
in dolalrs and cents alone, and for
every mile of road improvement in
the county the city gave a mile of
street improvement.
While there has been much road
improvement in Forrest county during
the recent past, the work is, figura-
lively speaking, just begun. Good
roads make short miles, bad roads
long ones. While cotton, corn and
other produce are necessary products,
they are not the best product Of the
farm. Intelligent, progressive boys
and girls are the very best product
of the farm, but with bad roads as
barrier to free and easy intercourse
between the farm and the city, and
the absence of the needed social life,
the young life is warped, the soul mar
rowed by prejudice, and sound, SYM
metrical education and growth rem
dered difficult, If not impossible. 1t
must be admitted that, from end to
! end, of our country. one of the great
est drawbacks to education and the
greatest drag on spiritual, mental and
moral development is the hindrance
to free social intercourse between the
farm and the city by reason Of bad
and, at, times, impossible roads.
Diaries are not properly placed.
! fc. inus Page Twelve