The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-02-09
Widely Followed Program
Now Fixed Policy.


cfedlt Or rs IN who We're at TIE
back Of the work that they made
reads that are a credit. They en-
Dioyed an engineer who laiG out his
work III thorough manner and he had
all due regard for the future of the
roads he built. More thu n ordinary
attention was given to grading and to
making roads that should be models
| o1 alignment width and permanenCe.
| They cost more money than some OF
| the less expensive and substantial
| roads in some of the adjoining coun-
| ties, and it is only the truth that
| the road question in Lee was a right
| enthusiastically debated one Many
! protested that less money to the mile
would make more roads and make
| them of good enough type. l think
/ Lee county today is glad that the
! men who were entrusted with the
task Of working out the road tangle
were men Of nerve and good sense
| for those men did not falter when
! they were confident was the right
one.
have enjoyed this experience of
| Lee county, for it is the unfolding
CT 9 rjcht interesting little bit Of
progress. Soon after the county was
created ] was in Sanford and the
road question was new then A few
| yentureSOme pathmakerS were advo-
| eating good roads. A large number
Of others We're certain that the coun-
ty could not afford it. These others
saw the one phase which is paying
for the roads. They failed to compre-
, hend that good roads pay for them
, selves just the same as any other
. modern factor of efficiency pays for
itself.
/ About d year or SO later | was ia
I Sanford again one day when the road
t question came up again. Then it was
4 decided to build some small stretches
. | Of road, but it was with many mis-
n giyings that enough assenters had
y been found to give the proposition au-
d thority. But the work commenced. A
: few miles Of good road was started.
t It was amusing to meet the people
d and talk about the matter with them.
Some were anxious to have every
n body who could say a word say that
weird on behalf Of roads. Others were
equally anxious to have a voice raised
: in behalf Of the people who were to
h be burdened with absurd taxes. AS
IS we all look back now it is humorous
" At that day it was tremendously seri-
1t | GUS
% The Idea Grows.
a Roads made some headway, and ar
le occasional convert going over to tht
S. good roads side enabled the road ides
y to press farther ahead. There is nt
ot such a good road missionary on eartf
d as a mile Of good road. Each mile
of good road built in Lee county com
rs menced it's work of proselyting, ant
ce presently it secured another mile, an(
5e that meant another mile sOmewher
N else. This thing is like spring. Whel
y, it starts it is certain to come. n,
IN matter what backsets seem to aris
SO the movement keeps on extending. S
at Lee county got little good road ou
in one direction, then some in anothe
IN 0v,l< aVNJn
ne little in another direction, and Fl
on nally general road improvement en-
a thusiasm awakened in pretty nea
op every township. The farmer VIII
a lived out some distance in the county
who had been opposed to good road
ad got his lesson when he was able t
We strike a bit OF good road his wa
er to town. When he left the sand
en- road and pulled on to the improve
Id road it was an agreeable change an
a he accepted that. When on the re
ee turn trip he pulled off Of the goo
to road on to the old sandy road or tn
re rough and muddy clay road he notice
ee the change. Right there where h
tn left the good road to go on the ba
IN road is where the change Of heart &C
h Cured.
tie l imagine that if an exhibit {
ke about two miles Of good road ~cOui
lty have been carried around over an
he who use the roads could have bee
er- permitted to drive on that two mile
Ie- exhibit few weeks and then bee
til turned back to the old roads agai
ito a vote taken immediately after Woui
ok have brought good roads to nearl
in every township in the State. 1t wa
rSt not such startling change from II
tai bad road to the good road as 1t is no
is for a man who has been used TO
rst good road to strike 8 stretch Of ba
road il he drifts off OF the good roaf