The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1913-02-08
n NUMBER q
HUNDRED NILE eRIVELED ROAD
Hon. Charles {. schwlns Of. lber-
vile Sees Possibility of such 4
Highway on West Bank Of River.
from Port Allen to New Orleans.

Vile Sees Possibility of Such a
Highway on West Bank Of River,
from Port Allen to New Orleans.
In letter to the New Orleans
Picayune, under date of Jan. so, Hon.
| Charles e. SchWing of IberyiIle, one
OF Iouisiana's most enthusiastic ex-
ponents of good roads, writes as fol-
lows:
| Tt ought to be a matter of pride
to every Loufsianian to know that,
despite adverse conditions and not
| Wlthstanding certain national agita-
ton of questions of large Importance
| to our Industrial Well-being, the peo-
pie are keeping their faces to the
front and marching ahead as they lay
a solid and substantial foundation to
our states future greatness and ad-
Vancement, as evidenced by the ac-
tual construction of and the serious
planning to construct miles and miles
OF permanent and durable roads.
This is matter of such Importance
that it may well be called to the at.
tention OF our Carnival visitors from
without the borders of Louisiana, for
it shows the states Industrial and
commercial advane ement is being
placed on surer and a better basis
than has ever been known before.
Instead of throwing away thousands
OF dollars annually on dirt roads
the people generally are seeing their
folly and are now capitalizing their
road funds, dividing their parishes
into road districts, and issuing bonds
to construct permanent highways
that can be used at any season Of
the year.
a permanent road, say a gravel
ed road, leading hundred miles out
of New Orleans, would be OF much
greater Importance to that city than
would be the construction OF another
trunk line railroad, and when It is
understood how comparatively easy
this would be the wonder Is that
greater Impetus is. not given such q
movement.
1t may not be Inappropriate to call
to your attention the fact that Ibere
vile has now constructed about tWen-
ty miles of graveled roads. Within
another year this mileage will doubt
less be apprsciably increased. These
graVe1ed roads have proven their
grea u ort asrfll alItiea,
ara 1,el'sks
tees from q nun Der of tIIIler pal
notably East Baton Rouge est
ton Rouge, Ascension and Lafayette.
Ii all respects these roads received
the cordial approval Of those who IN
speeted them, though the state high.
way commissioner has not yet SGT
foot upon them, ID spite OF his hay
ing been invited to do 50. This, of
course, in order to have these roads
adopted as standard and thereby al
low the parishes wishing to build
such roads their just pro rata from
the state fund. &
1T should be deeHy interesting:
and gratifying % know that both
West Baton Rouge and Ascension
have inaugurated a splendid move
ment to construct many miles OF
graFeled roads, and In your Issue OF
today it is seen that d committee
Of prominent gentlemen of West Ba-
ton Rouge has been selected to visit
the IbervilIe roads and to devise
ways and means to build fifty miles
Of such roads iii that excellent par
ish. A like movement Is now well
under way III Ascension parish. and
from my observation there seems no
doubt OF its early eonsummation and
complete success. This means there
will be a grayeIed road from Port
Allen, opposite Baton Rouge, to DON
and in all likelihood to
the st. James parish line. This viii
be a distance of over fifty miles. with
roads traVersable at all seasons OF
the year. It Is likewise reported the
people OF st. James parish and those
Of Assumption are seriously consider
ing the building of permanent roads,
and there Is no doubt that Assnmp-
ton will be IN the lead among that
tier Of parishes now seriously at
work. II 1t should be that st. James
parish will join West Baton Rouge,
IberVi1le and Ascension In extending
the graveled road building, 1t will
only leave st. John, st. Charles and
Jefferson between New Orleans and
an excellent permanent road Ieadlne
over hundred miles into the in
terror Of the state, and 1t can scarce:
" be thought that It will be q great
while before these parishes will join
in the movement. Money expended
on dirt roads Is a misuse Of public
funds. Money spent on permanent
roads is never a tax, but an invest
ment yielding large returns. =