The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-07-10
r. |. BENNETT SOUNDS A WORD
OF WARNING ON ROAD
CONSTRUCTION.
URGES CONSTRUCTION ECONOMY
Some Figures Are Given As 70
The Cost of spIit-Los Drag And
Operating Expenses-Aiso Some
Results From This System.

In the great enthusiasm for good
roads it is possible for many mistakes
to be made With the present sparse
population of our rural sections the
cost burden of a complete system Of
good roads is too great to hope for
immediate results, and because of this
fact many dispairage the thought that
we will ever have a system of roads
such as one finds in more thickly set
tied sections. 1t is a settled fact that
the nation as a whole, has awakened
to the vaue and necessity for good
roads, assuring us that the section
which hopes to develop and prosper
must plan for a road system that viii
assure easy travel and remove the bar
which binders every section that fails
to establish good roads A recent bill
has been introduced in Congress by
the southern member of Metrimac and
kissing fame, providing for highway
from Niagara Falls to New Orleans.
This would doubtless be useful high
way, but the scheme smacks too much
of the military idea and was doubtless
born out of Captain Hobson's training
as a solder. -
What we need in this southern SO
ton is a good public road in ever
neighborhaad and the business Of ou
county supervisors should be to study
} the most practical plan for gettin4
r these without unduly increasing ou&
, direct taxes or entailing upon posteri
: ty a burden that will engender q
hatred for their forbears. 1t matters
: not what we think of Uncle Sam or Of
his former treatment Of his southern
kindred, we must admit that In hisi&g'
ricultural and industrial department
!. we have friends who are ever ready
to help u.s. The beauty about this par
ticular form Of paternalism is that
E there is nothing degrading In the &C
n ceptance of its benefactions. Instead
S of contributing the means with which
!, to supply our wants they simply fur
S nish men who are specialists in theiI
respective lines-men with scientific
training who come among us for the
} purpose of showing us how to hell
= ourselves. There is no benevolenct
,. like the benevolence which brings ou
T. the best that is in us. In the mattel
of public road building the govern
ment experts have been wonderful,
helpful, and II we continue to avail o
their services we shall be saved man.
a foolish blunder, and shall get goo
n roads throughout our section withou
r bringing ourselves into a state Of banh
ruptcy.
The split-log drag is s<111 nc
highly recommended by o
re ment It can be made for
lars and its adoption by road
sioners and overseers will
means of getting much better roa(
very small cost.
The subject of good roads Is wit
us: good roads we must have. Ho'
ut may we get them speedily without to
&C. great cost Is the thing to conside
no The columns of The Daily News al
ga, always open to those wanting to di
ri cuss this or any other matter Of publ
ut interest. Let those who have ideas Q
6c this subject use us for making sue
lis ideas known.
re- Accelerated Englishman was one
visiting st. Louis and when inspectir
one of the large jewelry establis
ments in that city expressed great 81
e. prise at the marvellous scope of Il
organization, saying that there W
ev. nothing in England like 1t. When
list asked the manager to explain t
to cause Of such success, he, who b
zen been with the~business from boyhoC
said there was but one explanatio
the eternal vigilance and keeping ev'
ON lastingiy at 1t, If we are to have
ave great blessing of good roads in Il
Jun, country we must keep everlasting
at II.