The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-26
THE GOOD ROADS PROBLEM.


The good roads problem in the South
has ceased to be matter of showing
the need for good roads and becoms q
matter of educating people in the pub
lie spirit of cooperation that alone
can produce results. The problem has
become one of how to work out the
details and raise the money and build
the roads. y searching and broad
minded analysis of this question Is
contributed to the May issue of south
ern Good Roads" by Professor Charles
Strahan. of the University of Georgia.
The knowledge of human selfish
ness. the distance of the goal when
all roads shall be good the manifold
doubts rs to effective organization amt
personnel. upon which so much depend
arc the things that stagEer. Not one
man In thousand denies the immense
value of good roads The public does
not need the elaborate statistics OF
ira ffic losses due to bad highways nor
the still more serious deprivation of
school and church. and social prlvi-
lcGes involved to convince them Of tho
wisdom of good roads. Every farmer
can give from his own experience un-
answcrab!c arguments, and every city
man will applaud to the echo. SO far
ccrned, the fight is virtually won. The
feasibility of ever obtaining good
roads without bankruptcy. and OF
maintaining them when once built. are
th- points upon which tho pubiic's
doubt has not yet been removed.
The author then points out what
nrc the practical difficulties In the
way of advancement. J'irst, arc petty
grievances by individuals who Will
not permit of changed roadway with"
out condemnation proceedings, who
want three prices for right OF way.
property suffers trivial damages. or
the whole work Is not centralized
where they are interested. Apparent
" the people are not willing to sac
rifice anything. even in the light of
increased land values. This personal
selfishness is big factor handicap
ping Southern roads.
The second difficulty is the miscon-
ccption OF how the county money is
to he spent. Every citizen looks upon
himself as stockh older of a corpor-
alton and expects pro-rata share of
dividends from the taxes paid There
fore, everybody wants the roads OF his
nei shborhood improved at once. Yet
the very nature OF road building re-
ouircs the concentration of effort and
money on limited stretches for the
time being. The dissipation OF funds
all over the county results in an ulti- |
mate waste.
third danger lies in the belief that
good roads are easy TO build. The
construction is intrustcd to those who
have no especial training for the work
and who are often hampered BY poor
labor and need of machinery. Much
OF the work in the South is likely TO
prove unsatisfactory for the lack Of
skilled engineering advice. and muc n
OF the opposition to road building is
due TO the past experience with poor
roads built at high cost through
failure TO secure technical supervi- |
sion.
Among causes favoring the extension
of good roads. Professor strahan en-
first-class road built as n concrete OBJ
jcct lesson and model, md the influ-
ence OF the automobile. In spite of
the violent objection in some quarters
to the automobile. its final effect Is to
open the eyes of the rural dweller to-
the possibilities OF better means Of
communication for himself The rural,
mail route has served the same end.
But most important OF all agencies
At work In the South has been the
spread of the spirit OF cooperation
and mutual helpfulness between the
towns and the country districts. The
cities learn the worth Of cooperative
effort first, and by extending aid to
outlying districts press the lesson
home. This couuteracts the individual
istic and selfish tendency of the rural
population and at bottom forms the
chief reason for hope that the problem
Will soon be solved by the union of
all elements of the population for en-
lightened cooperation for the lasting
good Of all.