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

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whether or not the tax should be
| levied. If this was the case it
would probably be a long time be-
lore the roads We're built. He had a
| farm fifteen miles from town and
he knew that it would mean great
saving to him if he got the good
ROADS to maui his cotton over. He
stressed the importance the good
roads would have on education in
| the rural districts and in the build
ing up Of union schools. Mr.. Man
ming also emphasized the fact that
| those opposed to the bond issue did
| not nave any plan at all, or one not
near so good, to offer by which the
| roads could be built.
Mr.. p. Nj. Pitts was skeptical Of
the advisability of the bond issue
plan at first. but after he had given
| 1T considerable thought he decided
| that it was the best thing that could
| be done for the country. AS a citizen
he was in favor of it, He said that
in his own case he had been able
TO haul only three bales Of cotton
10 town before the road was built
by his place to town. Now he could
haul six easily. His children were
enabled by means of good roads
to get to town to go to school. The
road from his place to town was
worth more than 800 a year to
him and he would be willing to pay
that much for it.
He said he had been criticised for
building roads by pieces He had
done this building by contract where
the material could be secured by
digging and filling at that place on
the road. He was not provided with
facilities for hauling the material
to build the roads. Another reason
was that he had no means of pro-
perly grading the roads except
where he could do 50 by inspection.
Grading and location were the work
OF an engineer and it was absolutely
necessary to have one if the road
system was to be built in five years.
He did not think that the building
of the roads would demoralize farm
labor. Work in town had not done
so in the past, why should it do so
in the future? He said that he
thought all taxpayers liable to
communication road tax should pay
two dollars to the county instead of
being allowed a choice of working
on the county roads. This should
be enacted into law in this county
as it had been in other counties.
The members Of the board could
be trusted to be economical and
would certainly give the full value
to the county for the money expend-
ed in the building Of good roads.
Mr.. l. E. Watson, the builder Of the
first sand clay road in the United
States, told of how that road had
been built and how his motives had
been misunderstood by his county
and the troubles that he had ex-
perienced after the road had been
built. He said that his road was
still in good condition. He had not
graded it because it was not neces-
sary. However, in some places it
was necessary to grade the roads.
He had been connected with
road building for a long time and
he had never yet come to the place
where it had done harm to have
good roads. In his opinion the la
Dor used was not taken from the
farm when the roads were built, but
was a kind Of floating labor that
went anywhere such work was GO
ing on. He said that he did not
think that the cost of building the
sand clay roads in some sections Of
this county would be more than
$3.50 a mile, while, of course, in
other places it would be as high as
$3.50.
DIR. S. G. Baker in the general
discussion, pointed out the fact
that road building by means Of the |
chaingang cost more than when let
out by contract.
MIR. Boyle was in favor Of good
roads. but he was against the bond |
issue. He stated that he wanted a
direct levy Of 2 1-3 mills which |
would cover the same costs and
build the roads in six years. He
said that his plan meant the spend
ing Of $1,000 a year on the roads, |
while the other plan advocated
spending $4,000 a year. He said