The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-09-23
fall voted a bond issue OF $4,000 900 20

ATst CldsS highways, covering the
V~ty with Detroit as a center. BY
spreading the payment over 20 years It
is found the increase In taxation Is so
small as not to be noticeable. On an
average 80 acre farm 1t will be some.
thing like sl.3O a year.
Roads well built are permanent,
given moderate amount OF attention
and expense for maintenance.
There is no reason why the present
generation should carry the whole bur.
den, and the future should be relieved
therefrom.
The plan of building a small piece Of
road every year by an annual tax, and
extending the road a mile or two at a
time is unsatisfactory In results, the
cost is considerable more than II
should be, and 1t takes q long time to
get tie roads. If 20 miles were built
at one time In township, there would
De strong competition among contract
ors and the tax payers would find they
could get their roads from 10 to 25
)er cent. less money, that they would
nave better built roads and would have
them TO use at once instead Of waiting
ten years or more to build them piece
meal, and have the first mile practi.
cally worn out before the last one was
finished. OF course there would be
interest to pay on the bonds, but If tho
use or the roads is not worth more to
the community than the interest on the
bonds, 1t would not pay to build the
roads. Money can be borrowed at four
or hve per cent, and those in q posi-.
tion 10 form good Judgment, will say
that first class roads will pay for them.
selves every Ave years, or IN other
words, that their use is worth 20 per
cent. of the cost each year.
One sometimes hears a farmer. who
Is opposed to the building Of hard
roads, say that he can raise no more
grain or get larger return from tho
farm by reason of having good roads.
Such one will attempt to sustain his
position by stating only part of the
whole proposition. OF course It ia true
that the road has no influence upon
the productivity Of the farm along which
IT passes, but 1t does not follow that
the net results are the same, whether
the roads are good or bad.
Only q few days ago the writer was
down In the corn belt Of Illinois and
saw four horses hauling a load OF corn
into town. 1t was all the horses could
do to handle the load, although the
country was comparatively level The
mud IN the road was nearly a foot
deep. No fair minded man will say
that crop can be marketed under
such conditions as cheaply as when the
roads are good, and single team can
handle the same at twice the speed.
The value OF the farm does not do
pend alone upon what the soil will pro
duce, but upon its accessibility ia
market, the environment and whether
the farm Is In every way desirable Al
place to live. We spend money 70,
pleasure and for comfort, and It IL
nsnt that we should do so. Probe bly
as rule too little is spent foI
this. Whenever good roads have been
ouiit. IN any community, there ha,
been sharp advance in the price o,
land. because the farms are more 40
cesslole. The writer has In mind 1,
county IN northern Indiana. where
about ten years ago a system Of 2l
miles OF hard roads were built. cover
Ing the main highways of the town
ship. About $S5,00O were spcnt upou
the improvements, the payment spread
over ten years. Within a year afte,
the roads were built the farmers were
asking and getting SIS to $25 an acr,
more for their farms than they could
nave gotten before the roads were
ouiit. In some cases the advance wa,
even more. The increase in taxation
was hardly felt
One OF the Prominent residents nj,
the township. In commenting upon the
Improvement, said that the building O,
tne roads exerted a powerful influence
upon the lives Of the people of tn.
township-everybody began to SLICK
up new picket fence replaced the old
tumble down board fence, the house
was painted. walks laid out, and az ai,
OF thrlft was apparent everywhere
Also following the good roads, a town.
snip high school was built, and ar
rangements made to carry the children
70 and from school. This was a erea,
reiief to the isolation the youna
people were placed under before the
roads were built. The new school be-
came the social center and they found
IN that township that the building OF
system of roads was the best invest.
ment they had ever made, and under
no circumstances could they be in.
duced to go back to the old way. n
Is the same story everywhere; In every
locality where any community ever be.
gan to build good highways, and had
the experience Of building. using and
paying for them. the community was
not only satisfied but kept on build.
Ing more and more roads.
In the last analysis IL will be fourA