The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-08-10
THEY ARE COMING.

The dawn of a new day in road
construction is casting its golden
light over an interested and impat-
lent people who are tired of plodding
along in the old slip-shod way. Men
in high places, having observed the
demands of the people for better
transportation facilities in rural COM
munities, are beginning to sit up and
take notice. Senators and Congress-
men have an ear to the ground and
are reaching the conclusion that "a
word to the wise is sufficient" The
people are succeeding in convincing
their law makers, too, that factions
speak louder than Words and the
good roads millennium is coming
right along. Some weeks ago Sena-
tor Simmons introduced a bill which
contemplates the appropriation of<one
million dollars fer the improvement
of roads used by rural mail carriers.
A further provision provides for a
Federal license tax on automobiles
engaged in interstate travel. This
bill attracted countrywide atten-
ton and the North Carolina Sena-
tor has been the recipient of hun
dreds OF messages congratulating
him upon the production of the bill
and the mastery name in which he
presented the subject to the Senate.
Following the lead of Senator Sim
mons, in the advocacy of national aid
for highway improvement, comes
Senator Swanson, of Virginia, who
would have the government approp-
rate twenty million a year for five
years to be used in the manner re-
cited by Mr.. Simmons. The PROPOSE
ton by Senator Swanson met instant
approval in many quarters and seems
to have been seriously considered by
numbers of influential newspapers.
Among the papers that have COM
mented favorably upon the PROPOSE
ton of the Virginia senator, is the
washington Star. 1t had this to say:
Senator Swanson's appeal for the
adoption by the government of a good
roads building program should arrest
The attention OF congress. There is
40 denying his statement that the.
mud taxi in the United States is
enormous. Vast amCdnts of money
are annually wasted in the struggle
of the people to overcome the handi-
cap of wretched highways, leading to
lost opportunities to develop lands,
higher prices for commodities and
ultimately, a steady increase in the
cost of living. The bad road affects
everybody who buys food. The aver
age cost of hauling farm products to
market yer country roads is now %
cents per tor per mile. The cost in
such countries as England, France
and Germany, where an intelligent
foad-making policy has long con-
trolled, is far lower. If the road
standards of those lands were adopt
cd here the hauling cost would be
reduced to between IL and 13 cents
per tea per mile. This saving would
be divided between the producer and
the consumer.
An annual expenditure of $4,000
900 for five years by the UnitedStates
would give the country the founda-
ton of a system of good roads. The
states have failed to- do this work.
Some cannot afford to undertake it,
and others have made beginnings,
while others have utterly neglected
re duty which government owes to
the people. The United States can
best afford to start the movement,
and by contributing 100000 coo to
the cause of cheap local ~transporta-
zion stimulate the states t. a -6a.
appreciation of not only the value
f roads to the people individually,
hut their benefit to- the commonwealth
As a whole. The state which is pro-
vided with a series of well built,
carefully located highways will soon
outstrip in prosperity and intelligence
another that permits its Inhabitants
to continue to founder in the mud"
This begins to look like business.
Let the agitation he continued while
7siasm is In evidence.