The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1916-11-25
WHAT GOOD ROADS DO.

WHAT GOOD ROADS DO.
Increase School Attendance, Inn
prove Social Conditions, and En-
large Bushes. Transactions.
A Is per cent increase in the pro-
portion of the available children at
/ tending schools took place following
the construction of good roads in 8
counties studied by the Office Of
Public Roads and Rural Engineer
ing of the department is shown in
recent publication Of the office,
Department Bulletin No. 1913. The
improvement in roads was followed
also in several of the counties, the
s report shows, by consideration of a
number of the little one-room
schools into graded schools, which
re the pupils better educational ad
\tages; by development of var
industries; and by social i'm
,ent due to intercourse. These
ments are related closely to
es in land values and de-
in hauling costs, effects
the construction Of i'm
|ds The studies were made
|ania, Dinwiddie, Lee, and
mites, Va; Franklin Coun-
York; Dallas County, Ala;
hle County, Miss; and Man
inty, Fla.
fotsylvania County, Va, the
average daily school attendance in
! creased from 81 per cent Of the en-
: rollment before the roads were i'm
- approved to II per cent after. Be-
tween 1909, the year preceding the
!. building of good roads, and 1913,
the year following their completion,
= the shipment of forest products, the
principal products of the county, in
creased more than 70 per cent. The
J. increase during this period in the
poultry business in the county was
n pa1scent and in dairying 40 per
cent ,
In Dnwiddie County, Va, the
average daily attendance for child
rem for 10 schools on the improved
roads was 63.4 per cent of enroll
1 ment in 1928, while the average
Il attendance Of all other schools in the
cunty was Sc per cent. Several
schools consultations have
:, been effected, larger school build
I ings have been constructed, and pup
Ills have been transported to schools
at the expense of the educational
eSsystem since the road improvements
sSwere made Truck gardening and
dairying, which were profitable only
within 8 miles Of the principal mar
ket town of the county before the
AToad improvement, are now carried
on profitably within a Emile radius.
In Lee County, Va, considerable
]. industry has been built up following
!. the road improvements in the ship
ment Of Tan bark, extract wood, and
pulp wood, products which could not
b be profitably hauled over the unim-
Narrowed roads. The improved high
yeay system has attracted buyers OF
farm products who travel from farm
to farm and furnish new cash mar
ket for the farmers, There has been
a 26 per cent increase in buggies
4 ssold by a county vehicle factory.
I In Wise County, Va, social condi-
tions have been better since the good
sroads were constructed, many farm
ers along the improved highway
having built new homes or improved
old ones, adding sanitary conven-
fences. School attendance has in
creased materially, but since COM
pulsory attendance regulations went
into effect about the time Of improv-
ed roads were completed, the influ-
ence of the two factors could not be
determined separately. Several
school consultations have been
inside.
Automobile registrations in
Franklin County, N. Y, increased
! from 371 before the road improve
ment in 1912 to $50 after road i'm
provement in 1914, and two automo- !
bile lines connecting distant
I towns in the county were established
j as soon as the improved roads were
opened.
There has been q notable stimula-
ton Of dairying and general diversi-
cation on the farms Of Dallas Coun-
J..