Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-16
Storm Clouds Had Lining of
Silver for Dixie Motorists

TINS year. One hundred and thirty
miles of macadam will be laid, 80 miles
OF gravel and from $50 to $50 miles of
sand-clay or soil road. The last SEES
sion of the Virginia legislature appro-
priated $4,000 for the maintenance of
the convict road force, and 1886, 900 for
state road aid. The automobile tax
which will amount to $4,000. is also
available in Virginia for the permanent
Improvement of the roads.
In Georgia conyicts are used on the
roads almost exclusively. The number
depends only on the number of convic-
uohs' but as there is large negro pop
ulauon and a strong inclination to
make the negroes work on the roads if
Iile| are not willing to work elsewhere,
there is never a lack Of road forces.
Exact figures on the number Of miles of
road that viii be built in Georgia are
not obtainable because there are so
many independent schemes of road
building in operation this wear. IL is
reasonably safe to say that Georgia. Will
improve more miles of road this wear
than any Southern state. And those
VINO took part in last years Glidden
tour we'll know that there is no road
better than a good sand-clay road of
the Georgia vintage.
Louisiana Gets Busy.
The state of Louisiana is just getting
IN a fair way to do some real road i'm
proVement work. 1t will use $50 con-
Vlcts on the roads this year and at
least zoo miles of new road will be
built.
The state highway department in
Louisiana was not authorized until re-
Gently and was not organized until Feb
Tuary l, 1911. State aid in road build
ing is now given by the state in fur
nlshlng men to control the engineering
and supervision features of the work
ana IN supplying the convicts free of
charge. The parish securing this state
aid Is required to furnish mules ma
chine,y equipment to guard and feed
the conVicts, and to supply all mate
rial 1t has been found that the cost of
road construction Inder this system is
a triile less than $1,000 mile
In Alabama conyicts are used on the
roads by only few counties. Not over
$50 ,convicts are being used this year
Cyrus Is. Brown, secretary Of state es-
Inmates loughly that soc miles Of road
viii be hard surfaced this year and
1000 miles of new road built. 1t is
hardly probable that those figures are
to be taken too literally. However, the
state of Alabama will do vastly more
road work this year than ever before.
+ Mississippi Makes Up.
Mississippi, a state that has Jagged
behind considerably in the matter of
road building, is doing something this
year. More than 100000 are avail
able now, raised by bond issues, for
road building, and f. D. Cunning, L. s.
special agent, estimates that 100 miles
of road will be hard surfaced and $50
miles of new macadam and gravel road
viii be built this year. Convicts are
rarely used on the roads and the state
gives no aid, but within the past seven
months counties have issued $1,105,0 coo
in bonds and work is being pushed
Earle W. Hodges. secretary of state Of
Arkansas, says of the situation, in his
state:
"Undeg the laws of Arkansas each
county may use its own convicts. who
are sentenced To the state penitentiary,
upon the public roads Several of the
larger counties ara using their county
ana city convicts upon their roads with
excellent results. \ number of other
counties have formed Improvement dis
tlicts and have issued bonds for the
purpose of road building.
a"ArkansaS is t,usting that the legis-
/ Turc in the near future will pass some
legislation that will encourage the good