The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-21
GOOD ROADS MUST BE BUILT By
CONNECTS.

North Carolina, and in most or the
country also, is the good roads Ques-
ton. Hir. Leonard Tufts, president of
the Capital TO Capital Highway Asso-
c~iation. and other gentlemen left Ra-
leigh Friday to make a tour Over TINS
route to Richmond and to attend the
big Coco Dad Convention to be helo
in Richmond this week. There viii
be an address on Monday by President
Taft and by others on Tuesday and
Wednesday. Among those who Will at
tend from North CAROLINE are Colonel
Benehan Cameron, of Raleigh, who
has taken deep interest in this work
and is chairman of the Legislative
committee of the Farmers National
Congress and member Of other Organi-
cations that are working to secure bet
ter reads. Colonel Cameron was very
anxious to have this convention held
III the South, and assisted in securing
Richmond as the location.
In the hearing before the Commit
tee on Agriculture on the bill of Mr..
Cocks, providing for a highway com
mission composed Of the Director Of
the Office Of Public Roads of the De-
partment Of Agriculture, Chief OF the
Z. S. Corps OF Engineers and the
Fourth Assistant Postmaster-General.
Colonel Cameron gave the committee
much light upon the purpose of the
bill and the feasible plan by which
the Federal Government could assist
in road construction. The plan is for
this commission to lead in the matter
Of laying out roads and bring about
as far as possible uniform road regu-
lations among the several States. It
is not h purpose of that bill to ap-
propriate money for the building Of
roads. but to make the road work
bear the same relation to the govern
ment as h Department OF Education
bears to education. Colonel Cameron,
in his arguments before the commit
tee, said: "YOu can never have anv
order. arrangement. system or method
in road construction through the iso-
lated efforts Of the different individual
States and he proposed a road sur
vey OF six roads across the continent
from ocean to ocean and several
LONGITUDINAL roads and a road con-
Meeting aI1 the capitals Of the States.
He said the building should be done
by the States. All that we ask Of
this bin is hat some plan or metho
be provided for doing a work with
which we are now simply cropping In
the dark" added Colonel Cameron.
The meeting which will be held this
week will no doubt help forward the
sentiment for road building, and it Is
good to know that North Carolina
will be we'll represented. Road build
ing is the great work we must take
up in the State with more
ness than we ave yet done. The
Agricultural Department has large
funds and the penitentiary has an
abundance Of convicts. It would be a
, good thing for North Carolina to have
a Highway Commission Of
the Commissioner Of Agriculture, the
Superintendent Of the Penitentiary
and the State Geologist, and for these
three boards to get behindNt the road
construction in the State, using some
Of this money and the convicts TO
build public roads, instead Of making
cotton or building railroads and then
giving the railroads away. The State
is now doing work on three railroads
in the State, for which it will receive
stock in the railroads.. The stock will
be worth nothing to the State. 1t is
simply giving the work of the CON
victs to build railroads. When the
roads now building are completed this
policy should be Immediately and for
ever abandoned.
The penitentiary has been d~cvoting
itself to farming, raising supplies and
cotton and peanuts. The day for that
is past. Beyond raising supplies and
enough cotton to keep employment
Io.A -Af Dor e. -.