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

Year is being spent on the roads.
II the entire system is put in opera
ton, the cost of maintenance will
be exactly one-half Of that amount
and will consequently mean $1,000
saving for the county each year. A
direct tax was better than an indi
rect tax in his opinion and always
amounted to less in the end. One
doliar Tor every thousand dollars
worth of property turned in was not
much to pay when the property val
lie was increased ten-fOld. The sink
ing fund would require a one mill
tax to pay if off and this small
amount would not go hard with any,
one. At the present rate of road
building. 10 miles a Year, it would
take forty years to build roads all
over the county. but no one wanted
to wait forty years to get good roads.
The cost of maintaining the roads
would be about $40 mile after the
roads were built, requiring about
$4,000 a year.
The saving from hauling alone
when the good roads were put in
would in three years pay off the
bond issue, if it could be paid off in
that way. The good roads movement
meant union schools and hacks to
take the children from their doors to
the schools-it means promotion
Of education and social and business
intercourse.
The total value of property assess
ed on the tax books was $5,O0O,O0O.
The real value therefore would be
more than $2O,0OO,OOO. If the sys-
tenn of good roads raised the value
of the property % per cent, as it
certainly would, the county would
get value of s5,OO0,O0O or 100000.
Mr.. II. w. Beall was the first
speaker after dinner. He told about
how the bond issue looked to a farm
e.. .Ie said that it did not take much
figuring for him to see, after he had
been told how the matter was, that
he would save just twenty or thirty
times as much money as he spent in
taxes in his hauling Of fertilizer and
cotton, and If he did this it was a
paying proposition. The people were.
so accustomed to the old time bad
roads that the present plan seemed
to some to be too good to be true,
but IL 1t We're not true then DR.. Ba-
government departn mt Of agricul-
ture were liars and a set Of cheats.
He said that he had seen that he
would get out Of it a great deal more
than he had put in ii and therefore
he was for it. He called attention to
the fact that there was a good road
from his house to the city limits, and
then he had to take off half Of his
load so as to be- able to go on up
town. He said that some seemed to
think that it was a better plan to
have a three mill levy for seven years
instead Of the bond issue for twenty
years. The money could be borrow
ed at four and one-half per cent. and
that money that was paid in on the
zee mill levy was worth eight
cents. Which was the better to pay
in money worth eight cents or to
borrow money worth only 1-2 per
cent? He preferred the latter plan
himself and he had figured it out
that he would save, or the county
would-s120,O0 on interest by fol-
lowing the bonding plan.
He then went on to tell about the
effects the building OF good roads
would have on the making Of union
schools and the easier methods OF
educating the children. Good roads
and good schools were the two best
things that any county could get He
was member of the County Farm
ers' Union and was Farm Life
School Organizer for this county. The
idea Of this movement was 20 estab-
lish union schools which should
teach the same principles of farming
which were now taught at Clemson
and other agricultural colleges.
Mr.. = NJ. Mccall asked why i
was that Sumter county was Obliged
| TO have a bond issue when othel
counties. Florence county in particu
l"r, was able to build good road.
/ without the issuance Of any bond:
. t,r that purpose. Mr. Beall stated
4 that he considered it due to the fac
J that Florence county had a dispen
sory and Sumter county did not. lie
said that although he was q DrOhibi