The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-15
~s-,,--~,
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. DOPE.
Sumter County Highways.

IOduS lSdulllS from the lODdCCO grow |
ing sections of Shiloh, Salem, Trinity |
and other sections as compared with
the superior highways of Clarendon
county leading from Turbeville, New
Zion, Sardinia, and other Clarendon
| county tobacco growing sections to
Olanta and Manning, and Timmons-
vile in Florence county.
All of the above sections are as
close and some of them much closer
to Olanta and Manning and Timmons-
| vile than to Sumter. But with the
distance against Sumter still it is said
by number of tobacco growers that
not only Clarendon but also Sumter
county tobacco is going to Olanta
and Manning and Timmonsville be-
cause the roads are so much better in
Clarendon and Florence county than
in this county.
Three men, two from Sumter coun-
ty and one from Clarendon county,
al staunch supporters Of the sum-
ter tobacco, cotton and other markets,
said yesterday that they knew of at
least fifteen tobacco growers who in
tended bringing tobacco to the Sum-
ter market this week to compete for
prizes in some instances, and others
because Of the high prices paid here,
the superior trading and banking ia
cilities Of Sumter, ETC., but that the
conditions Of sections of the Sumter
county highways scared them off from
Sumter and they carried their tobac-
co to Olanta, Timmonsville and Man.
ming.
The Sumter tobacco market has
unquestionably been a heavy loser as
have other business enterprises of
Sumter because of the poor highways
of the eastern sections of Sumter
county
1t is fact that an unfortunate con-
dition of affairs exists regarding the
building and maintenance of tho
roads of eastern Sumter county. There
| is not much good road material scat
tered along the routes of the high
ways of those sections. Supervisor l..
e. White truthfully says that it is
almost impossible to work miles of
these highways right after a rain,
and to work them in between rains
means that an ocean of deep sand
results after plowing the roads.
His contention is undoubtedly borne
out by recent occurrences People
were kicking because he did not fill
up holes in the highways. He sent
his motor truck and sulky plows out
and did work on the sections COM
planned of. Now comes a howl and
many people are asking "why in the
world Mr.. White went out and plow-
? ed up those sand beds during the to-
bacco selling season."
So Mr.. White is damned if he does
and he is damned if he doesn't.
But now that our county has q
splendid six thousand dollar motor
truck to cut down expenses Of high
way building and maintenance it is
hoped that this truck will enable Mr..
White to haul clay and gravel from
distances and clay or gravel these
eastern county highways in ample
time for the 1918 tobacco selling sea-
son.
About two years ago a delegation
of Clarendon county farmers and
country merchants living in the Bud
din, Turbeville and Sardinia sections
visited the Sumter Chamber of Com
merce to request that organization S
influence in shortening the distance
from those sections of Clarendon to
Sumter by building q short cut high
way from McBride's Crossing to Mr.
John Buddin's farm on the Clarendon
Sumter line, and to have the high
ways of eastern Sumter county clay
ed or otherwise made as good rs the
Clarendon county roads. These Clar-
cndon county citizens who wanted
them and want now to sell their to-
oacco in Sumter, and to do their
trading here, at n later date, came in
to Sumter as a delegation with 9th
er delegations of Sumter county
farmers and business men, and went
before the county Eoard of commits
siOners Of that day and time with
the requests above referred to. But
The commissioners could not see their
way clear to comply with the re-
quests.
This is a business proposition that
is we'll worth the time and efforts OF
the Sumter Chamber of Commerce,