The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-09-15
SOUTHEKN'S GOOD ROADS TRAIN.
Good Roads Club OrganZed-Lectures
by Road EXperts-The Southern's
Good Work.

train was in NeWberry Tuesday morn
| iny ior several hours ana about oi.o
hundred and twenty persons visited
the train and listened to the lectures
by sIT. i. L. E'in-lC", [. cead eXL-., -
the federal government; Mr.. Z. D.
baker, fed representative Of the
American association for highway I'M
provement, and w. c. Hurlbut, of the
! land and industrial department Of the
Southern railway.
| The train carries three cCaclles; one
for eating and sleeping purposes, one
for stereopticon lectures in which is
! shown various sections Of road and the
other for exhibits. Mr.. WinsloW, in
his lecture, used the stereopicon and
among other views lie had several he
had taken in Newberry county. Mr..
winsloW has been in this section of the
State a number of times and is famil-
| lar with road conditions and material
for building roads.
The supervisor anc the county CON-
missioners could not be present as
they were engaged in a meeting of the
commission to pass upon the good
roads machinery.
This work of the Southern railway
is mighty fine missionary work and is
educating the people along useful
lines and it is unfortunate that more
of our citizens did not hear the lee
lures and see the exhibits.
Ninety per cent of the. products
hauled by the Southern railway are
hauled over an average of nine miles
Of road in order to reach the railroad
and the average load is 900 pounds.
The cost of bad roads amounts to
millions of dollars each year. By i'm
proving the road you can haul twice
as much in one load and often as much
as eight or ten times as much. This
was illustrated in the lecture by man
hauling one bale of cotton on bad road
and ten bales or a good read. If the
cost of the team is $500 per day, you
have an actual saving of S27.00 in one
days hauling on good roads. The lee
turers explained that besides money,
which, of course, is necessary to build
roads, it takes, first, good Judgment;
second, good management, and third
good engineering.
The lecturers paid tribute to
South Carolina as being the third cot
ton producing State and beginning to
grow large crops of corn, wheat, oats
and tobacco, but they said as to roads,
South Carolina was not keeping pace
with her agricultural development.
With automobiles, rural delivery Of
mail, telephones, churches and
schools in the rural districts, GOOD
roads are sure to come. The lecturers
urged that the only way to secure good
roads is by the bond issue, and Il plain
business-like non-political making Of
good roads with money from the pro
ceeds of the bonds. They explained
that so per cent. of the taX-paying
property, or wealth, was owned oy
people who> do not use the roads at
all, or very little. That is to say by
the railroads and towns and the man
ufacturing plants and commercial en-
terprises. It is but fair that the cites
and railroads help pay this tax, for
the country supports the town
and railroads. AS Nr. Bryan said the
country can live without the town or
the railroads either but wipe out the
farms and these other enterprises
would soon die. Then with, at least,
80 ner cent. of taxes to be raised by
squeezing these non-users OF roads,
it does look like the farmers could
see that it would be good business
proposition to bond the county Tor
good roads.
The train went rom Newberry to
Prosperity, where the lectures were
repeated and where there was an at
tendance of about 160 persons, IN
cluding a good many ladies.
AS result of the meeting at New
berry a good roads Improvement CLUB
was ORGANIZED with the following Of
ficers for Newberry county:
DR.. W. C. Brown, of No. township
president.
". I Herbert, of No. township
vice president.
DR.. Van Smith, treasurer.
Frank P. Devore. secretary.
Oui+a a number enrolled as delegates