The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-07-29

To visit the Chamber of Commerce
headquarters whenever they were in
town and had the chance to do so
| and to hold their meetings i'm the
Chamber of Commerce hall when
ever they wanted TO hold any busi-
ness session i'm town.
The next speaker was Supervisor
Il. VI. Pitts. He began his address by
saying that is was the duty of every
good citizen of Sumter county to
vote for or against the bond issue
for S150,OO0 road Improvement
bonds on the first of August. when
the election was to come off. He
thought that everybody should know
what the county was doing with the
funds which had been secured from
the previous bond issue Of $4,000.
These bonds had been foated in the
early summer and since that time
work had been going on at various
places in the county, the work be-
ing done by contract. He thought
that Mr.. Belser was we'll within the
limits when he had estimated the
county at $500 a mile. In other
places the cost of building sand clay
roads had cost anywhere from $500
to $500 n mile. Some sections of
this county are we'll adapted to build
ing this kind OF road and the cost
would, of course. be less. The prin-
cipal feature of road building was
the grading and drainage of the
roads. 1t was absolutely necessary
TO have a road engineer for this part
of the work and consequently much
would be saved by having one. lie
himself had built a road in that sec
ton of the county several years ago
and because of improper drainage it
had gone to pieces in a short time
In regard TO the fact that some
farmers thought that the road build
ing would demoralize farm labor he
wanted to say that only about 100
or $50 laborers would be employed
in the county at one time and this
number of hands could not demora-
lie the whole county. Road ma
chimes had been built to take the
place of laborers and in this way
where he had been with his gang
he had met with sentiment in IA
vor Of good roads and most of the
people wanted the good roads now.
1t was up to the people of the coun-
ty TO say whether they wanted the
good roads and whether they were
willing to pay for them. The pres
ent board was a practical board and
did not waste money and for every
thing that went out they had to
know what was coming in. No
money would be wasted in building
he thought 1t would be good plan
20 do away with making the hands
work the road and make them pay
the 50 Communication tax instead
which would mean S1O,s0O annually
to be used in the building and main
tenance Of the roads. He was in
favor Of the issue and had reached
the conclusion that II was the best
thing for the county after some hard
thinking and figuring.
Mr.. r. b. Belser said In effect.
He had given the matter a great
deal of thought for the past five
years and had travelled over several
sections OF this state and other
states and knew that this county was
far behind great many other
places. There were 400 miles Of
road to be built In the county, the
other hundred miles of roads being
naturally good roads or having al
ready been built into good roads
He thought that complete system
OF sand clay roads all over the
county would help the county more
! than anything else that could be
done for it. If this plan was sue
| cessful there would be $4,000 a year
To be spent in building good roads
and in five years the county would
| have a system as good as any in the
/ State. The election gave the people
Of the county a chance to vote ac-
! cOrding To how they saw the subject
and as To whether or not they were
! 10 have good roads or TO remain
satisfied with the same lad roads
, that they have now. The election is
/ To u" held at time when every
! t1rmar would be able to go to the