Western Carolina Democrat and French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1913-1915, 1915-02-18
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Mr.. Ewbankas Reply to MI. HudeIns
OF Sand-Clay Roads and Indus.
trial Tax.
Hendersonville, N. c., Feb. 9, 1915.
Editor, Democrat:
l have read with interest the 1et.er
of Mr.. S. H. Hudgins and your edito
rial comment thereon in YOUR recent
issue of the Democrat concerning the
sand-clay road nj the proposition to
advertise the city by taxation, Asa
member Of the H~endersonyille Town.
ship Road committee may / tresspass
upon your patience and space in yoaIr
valuable paper with a view to impart-
ing a little information concerninethe
action Of this committee in the matter
OF the conduct of the road operations
SO Tar as this committee had jurisdic-
ton to control it?
2 In the first place, when the funds OF
this township were placed in tina
hands OF the committee with power to
make, what in the committees iudg-
ment, was the best possible use Of
them, there was a strongly divided
opinion on the committee as to how the
road-work should be done and of what
material it should be done. After ex-
haust1ve discussion and much inyes-
tigat1on it was decided that with the
money in hand no other construction
was open to US but that of sand-clay.
We might just as well have tried to
build the Tower of Babel to its origi-
nal specifications with the money we
had as to undertake to- build concrete
or Macadam roads throughout the
township. 1t therefore became a
question with the committee as to how
to build a sand-clay road that would
meet the highest degree of efficiency
by the use of that sort of construction.
With this end In view l had Hon. ].
n. Gudger, jr., to have sent to me the
specifications which the q. S. govern
ment authorities advised were proper
for such sandrclay read construction
and when / received this information
1ofered q resolution in the meetingof
the committee that we adopt the spec
f6catfons laid down by the government
aavisers1QME BroWnlow Jackson Sec
opded the resolution and after much
discussion twas agreed to defer de-
finite decision until MI. Patton could
produce experienced authority for con-
s~truction along the 1ines~Twhich have
been adopted in the building of the
roads thatahaIe been built! Mr.fPatton
took the matter up at once with Mr..
Joseph Hyde Pratt. State geologist, and
Mr.. Pratt promptly replied in detail
supporting Mr.. Patton's view as to how
the work should be done; in view of
the small amount of money Compare
tively) with which it was to be done.
Mr.. Pratt's letter resulted in the with
drawal of. my.own and Mr., Jackson's
opposition to the method which Mr..
Patton proposed to adopt in building
the roads, and all the work that has
been accomplished up to this time has
been lone according to recommends
tons made by Mr.. Pratt. None of it
has been done by the arbitrary will OF
Mr.. Patton unsupported by competent
authority, as some people seem to think.
or assume.
Personally / claim no skill as a
road-builder. but / have taken. much
pains to investigate the claims of the
--~I -5r044&0~ m rynT116
be a mere exhibition of ignorance or
a spirit of vicious criticism, without
any purpose Of arriving at a better
ment of conditions, to condemn the
sand-clay road as waste of money"
and effort.
Striking Comparisons.
1t has been demonstrated that a
sand-clay road properly made is a first
class highway, and if anyone in this
county believes that the money spent
on the building of some 80 miles of
new road with the proceeds from the
bonds sold for the construction OF
highways in this county does not be-
lieve that Henderson county has got
more for the money that the county
has spent in the last 10 months for
roads, let him go from here to Colum-
bus, N. c., oyer, the new highway that
was built from here to Sa1uda by the
Henderson county authorities and
and from Saluda to Columbus by the
Polk county authorities and compare
the two ends-the Polk and the Hen
derson county ends-and then inquire
concerning the relative cost of the
Polk county improvement and the
Henderson county Improvement and
if he is not convinced that Hender,
son county has gotten s"Yalue receiv-
ed" for the money expended he has
"got a loose single in his roof" and
mot whole tons of heliboric juice
would ever make his head of n use.
1e - norrontlu ainHnrmnd Polk