The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-28
State Made Rapid Progress In
1912 On Highway Con-
StruCtiOn
FIGURES BY DR.. PRATT
Late Governor Charles B. Ay-
cock Stun9 State Conscious
ness To Action Which Re-
suited In Special Bond Is
sues In a Number of Coun-
ties For Road Work

THE great strength of North Caro-
lima has been it's love of individual
liberty, it's devotion to the state. It's
weakness has been its isolation.
These words of Governor r Is.
Aycock before the first meeting of the
Goods Roads Association of North
Carolina on Wednesday February II,
1902, arousing the consciousness OF the
sleeping, urging the already active to
further zeal in the cause OF good roads
has found it's echo true and unchang-
ed, year after year when the good
roads enthusiasts of the Statee have
met together for the promotion Of the
work throughout the commonwealth.
Criticism Was Sharp.
That criticism was an arrow, and
the master archer behind the bow
had fastened his keen searching eye
on the weak spot. His arrow flew
straight to the mark. There it CULVER
ed. After the first singing pain OF
wounded pride, the surging blush that
the Great Governor Of the Great State
should have searched u the vulner-
able spot and laid it bare to the world,
came the full strength Of the devO-
ton which has been the characteristic
Of the patriotism Of North CarOlinianS
Then began with renewed zeal, and
fiery earnestness, the work which later
should call a governor of the State to
don overalls and blister his hands
with the shovel and the pick, while
thousandS of willing hands carved the
road ways of inter community COM
merce. And each dull thud Of the
hard swung pick, Zach hungry crunch
of the shovel was a contribution to
commerce, to agriculture, to industry
OF all kind, to education and to a new
birth Of State pride.
Goo Roads Touch Everything.
The cool voice of criticisms con-
tinued. "The question of good roads
touches us at every point. 1t measures
the attendance at school,. We can CAL
culate from the condition Of the roads
the number who go to church on Sun
day; it touches our agricultural life;
1T meets us in industries and COM
merce; there is no interest in North
Carolina which is not touched by it."
According to MI. Charles Henry
Davis, president of the National High
ways Association, more than five mil
lion tons of freight pass over our
highways per annum The average
haul Is little under ten miles. This
cost should not exceed eight cents per
ton per mile on a good road. That is
to say, at least $3.50 should be saved
on every ton moved on our highways.
But greater than this would be the
social, religious, and educational adj
vantages. There are eighteen million
children who endeavor to attend
school. There are cover thirty million
who ought to attend school but who
do not. Why? The probable answer
is that during a large part of the
school term w million miles of ou
roadway is impossible. Presiden,
Davis. backs up this judgment with
the fact that only nine-tenths of on
percent of the urban white population
OF the United States Is illiterate, wnil,
the rural illiteracy is six hundred per
cent greater.
State Shows Interest.
But North Carolina realizes all thes,
things now. Up to January /, 1913
thirty-seven counties had issued bond
OF these thirty-secen, thirteen voted o
issued bonds during 1912 amountin,
to s1.6S2,O 600. Eleven of these bon,
issue were made by the county as
bonds. In two %instan ~esn'as c assqf'
bond issue was supplemented by
township bond issue. Four road dis
trices reported bond issues.
Up to January /, 1913, s4,1OO.OO
were issued in bonds for road cor
struction. During 1912 71A miles G
macadam roadway was constructed i
the State at an average cost of S3,15
per mile. 742h miles of sand ella
at an average cost of $S77.5O per mil,
$50 miles of grvel road at an averag
cost Of 1884 per mile; 21A miles {
specially surfaced roads This brougl
the total expenditures for improve
roads for the year Of 1912 up to 81
1885.
Figures Tell Story.
The total mileage of public roads
North Carolina is 4S,870. OF this !
231A is macadam; 2,21O. sand ella,
ga miles Of gravel; 104A miles
specially surfaced road such as CO.
crete and bituminous macadam. TIL
makes a total of 4,46OA miles of in
proved roads in the State. The We;
1912 came in for a large share of Il
construction work thus noted. In tn
year TN miles of macadam we