The Hattiesburg news., 1915-10-18

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son Military Highway reach Hatties.
ourg from Eastabuchie they will have
passed over what is undoubtedly the
worst stretch of road in the county.
IL would be particularly unfortunate
II the pathfinders should gain the i'm.
preston from travelling over the Easta.
Ducnie road that all the roads in For.
rest county are in that condition. As
matter of fact. Forrest county has
perhaps the best road system, taking
1t all in all, of any county in the state.
Thirty miles are gravelled and one
hundred miles more are first-class
roads-graded, dragged, machined and
supplied with concrete culverts.
or course the roads in Forrest coun-
ty today are nothing like what they
are going to be in a few years. Prac-
tically all of the roads in the county
that deserve the title Of good roads
have been constructed within the last
three years. And the citizenship Of
the county is much more imbued with
the good roads spirit now than they
were three years ago, insuring a sys-
teN of gravelled roads throughout the
rhRtry within the not far distant
iad lre.
yThe history of Forrest county's
good roads is, therefore, the history
of the last few years. The first time
any concreted action was undertaken
toward building good roads was in
1909, when the county floated a bond
issue of $4,000 for building good
roads. OF course $4,000 didn't go far,
especially when it was scattered all
over the county. The supervisors felt
that as it was a county issue, the
money should be distributed equally
over all parts of the county. So they
proceeded to put in bridges where
there were no bridges: repair mud
holes and make other minor improve
ments of this nature and the first thing
they knew the $4,000 was gone and
there was not a mile of really good
road in the coutny.
" Failed for Two Reasons.
a}Nis first attempt at good road
huilding failed for two reasons; first,
the amount of the bond issue was not
enough to build any considerable num-
ber of miles of good road, even If 1t
had been spent for good roads; second,
il was not spent for good roads but
rather for making bad roads a little
better than they had been. 1t was
the first experiment, however, and al
though 1t discouraged the taxpayers
to a considerable extent, it taught
them A lesson-that the cheapest way
to spend money on the roads is to|
build really good road to start with
and that it doesn't take money long
to evaporate when it is spent on bad
roads.
After this experiment there was no
more good roads construction until
1911 In that year a number of lead
arc IN the Commercial Club determin'
~ that Forrest county had to have
st roads and that the best way to
,eaYh the people of the county the
vafue of a really good road was to|
mild stretch of really good road
sven IL that had to be a short stretcn,
rhe attitude of the Forrest county
,ubJ;c mind at that time was dead set
,gainst floating any more hohd y
mes. SO the Commercial Club deter
mined to raise the money necessary
" voluntary subscription OF its mem
Build One Mile.
lers.
A committee composed of T. ..
Iannah. M. D. King, DR.. w. w. craw'
ord, DR.. P. A. Carter. R. O Hauen'|
tein and c. Fl. Armbrecht was ap-
,ointed to take the matter in charge
md build good road in this county.
CONTINUED on Pafe Four)