The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1916-06-07
Wednesday, June Z, 1916
"coNNEcT UP"

AS they say, in railroad parlance
the time has come for the people OF
Abbeville county to connect up
with the balance of the country, and
to be a box car in the train of pros
perity, which is operating between
all other points in the state. We are
dead and don't know it.
We missed the electric railway,
but this Will prove blessing in dis
guise. We can connect up other
wise. The fact that the Due West
Railway, few days ago, was COM
pelled to put on an automobile to
haul its passengers between Due
West and Donalds, shows that rail-
roads as carriers of passengers, on
short trips, are relics Of the past.
And so it will be with the hauling of
freight when we have good roads,
and that is what we are coming to.
The county of Abbeville must have
fifty to seventy-fve miles of con-
crete or asphalt roads. We want
no sand or clay roads, but permanent
highways which will stand any kind
of traffic and not need eternal atten-
ton.
How may we have these roads?
The answer is simple. Build them
and pay Cor them. Asphalt may be
laid for $1.39 per square yard by
contract, we are informed. With
the county furnishing all the labor,
which we can do with the convicts,
this cost can be greatly reduced.
These roads need not be- more than
fifteen feet wide, leaving the re-
mainder of the road surface for per-
sons who desire to use the dirt sur
face. The cost per running yard
by contract would be $500. Using
the convicts the cost could be re-
duced to five dollars per running
ward, perhaps four dollars.
Fifty miles of this kind of road
would cost therefore about $350,0OO.
Bonds for that amount can be sold
at four and one-half per cent, and
the vbonds may be made payable In
fifty years. >,
The interest on these bonds would
be s15,75G per year, and In addl-
tion to this an amount should be
levied sufficient with accumulated
interest to pay the bonds at the end
of the time, say $500 per year,
making a total of $19,250 to be paid
each year by the county. For seven
ty-fve miles of road, this estimate
would be increased fifty per cent.
Where should the roads be built
and how? By commission of busi-
ness men who would agree to serve
the county without salary. And the
roads should be built out from Abbe-
Vile in every direction. One road
should 20 to Lowndesville, one to
Donalds by way of Due West, and
one to the Anderson line on condl-
ton that it connect with like road'
one from Antreville to the Lowndes-
vile road, one to the Greenwood
line, on condition that Greenwood
build a connecting road Of equal
class. one to the Mccormick line, on
the same condition, one to Calhoun
Falls, and on to the Savannah on condi-
tion that the Georgia authorities
would connect with it on like terms.
These roads may be built with no
additional taxes if the present tax
assessment be spent in the future
for public purposes only, and if the
neighborhoods of the county will
open and work neighborhood roads
as the cities work their streets, leav-
ing the county chargeable only with
maintaining the public highways.
Other moneys might be saved the
county in various ways. With a
small county like we have at present
we have entirely too many officers.
The offices of Treasurer and Auditor
should be combined in one office.
Taxes are assessed in the spring and
collected in the fall, and the en-
ployment of two men to do the work
which might be done by one is a
waste of public funds under authori-
ty of law. There is no need in
this county for Coroner, nor for a
Superintendent of Education. AS
matters are now transacted, and as
they have been transacted for a
great number Of years, the Superin-
tendent of Education is a clerical
man, working about four hours q