The farmer and mechanic., 1911-04-18
BY COL. T.. a. OIDS.)

of the South and Southwest, from
which ! have just returned, VISITED
eighty-fiVe cities and important to"hS,
sometimes going to two or three snaii
places in the course of q day, ana
looking them over / had in mind
from the very beginning OF the jour
ney the purpose of being receptive or
ideas, for / wanted to be able to tell
the people Of Raleigh our advantages
and disadvantages our shortcomings,
etc, and also the forward steps we
are taking. Raleigh may be termed
an old place; that is. old as most places
go in this country, and it has been
said that it is difficult to remodel an
old place. This is partly true but 1t
can be done. and done effectively.
The advantages Of Raleigh are a
rolling country, which gives good nat
ural drainage; an attractive elevation
above the sea level; rather wide
streets, well laid out; great variety
of trees: location where northern
and southern types Of trees and flow
ers can be blended; the presence Of
specially large number Of State insti-
tulions, with spacious grounds, which
give what may be termed parked
places; very beautiful park, a gift to
the city, and one Of the most attract
i've owned by any place of this size in
the South. and far superior to most,
the swimming pool being a very yalu-
able feature which no other town has:
a municipal building and auditorium
which ranks with the best In the
South, being equalled only by those Of
Houston, Texas, and Nashville. Tenn;
the colleges and a general educational
system which so marks Raleigh as
one Of the notable educational certers;
the Masonic Temple which is one OF
the most imposing in the South, only
one equal to it having been seen, this
being at Waco, Texas, and the Coun-
try Club.
These are Ra,eigh's strong points.
and to them may be added the ad-
mirable system of street lighting, by
the magnetic light, which is certainly
far ahead of the lights used in most
places. The street railway system is
good. the lines we'll located, and the
service regular, and when the city
grows somewhat more the long cars
which are coming into such general
use in places Of 5,0e5 or more will be
put on.
Raleigh has another advantage in
electric power. The equipment Is
certainly equal to the very best in any
city, and the fact that much OF the
power is Water-generated is Of high
value There are some cities, like
Richnond, Columbia and Augusta
where the same stream furnishes the
power to operate industries and also
to carry steamers to haul products,
etc. Raleigh has half Of these ad-
vantages, and is soon to have even
more electric power, and without
doubt Will be on one of the greatest
interurban electric lines in the South,
the western end Of which is now under
construction. These lines are now
everywhere extremely popular and re-
munerative. The line between Fort
Worth and Dallas is an example and
SO is that between Augusta and Aiken.
but the line here will be able to use
throughout power which Is water gen.
Grated and hence cheaper and more
eeffctive.
Raleigh's railway facilities must
not be overlooked and will certainly
compare faVorably with those of any
place OF it's size. and there will soon
be another line. This city occupies a
rather strategic position as to North
Carolina and also as to the travel be-
tween the North and the South and a
look at map will show this. but the
city has not yet taken the fullest ad-
vantage OF its opportunities, 1t will
be found that in Texas towns Of this
size as we'll as in points in Georgit, etc,
a great wholesale business has devel-
oped, with immense warehouses with
numbers Of travelling men, and yet
some Of these towns do but little man
ufacturing.
Raleighs stores do not in general
come up to the mark set by many
other places as to attractiyeness of
fronts and opportunities for display.
and as yet but small use has been
made Of the electric advertising de-
vices which make the streets of SO
many other places very attractive at
night. There are very few modern
stores here, and a visit to scores OF
cities and towns shows this to be one
Of the city's weaknesses.
Perhaps the greatest Of all the draw
backs here is inattention to the COM
plete paving Of streets and sidewalks.
The writer found that one city. Shreve-
port, La, has every inch Of its streets
and sidewalks paved. for the streets
vitrifed brick and asphalt being used,
and for the sidewalk granolithic. That
place is somewhat larger than Raj
eish. but it has a weakness which
Raleigh also shares, in that the roads