Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1917-02-09
FOR STATE SYSTEM
OF GOOD ROADS
TEN MILLION DOLLARS SPENT
ON ROAD BUILDING IN THE
LAST TEN YEARS.
EXPOSITION GIVES IMPETUS
Many Counties In Mississippi Actively
Engaged In Building Permanent
hlahway-Plans Laid For
Opening other outlets.

Significant in the late rapid develop
ment Of Mississippi tas been the state
wide good roads movement, Ten years
ago there were only thirteen counties
In the State that were putting out any
efforts OH road building. and some Oh
these were Of the crudest. Today, JUS:
one short decade past. practically eV'
cry one Of the sevsnty-eight counties
Of this State ia actively engaged IN
building permanent roadbeds along
the most prominent highways. and al
most before one road can be complet'
ed. plans. are being laid for opening
up other outlets. whereby the farmers
may more easily market their produce.
So perfect, indeed. is the highway
system In q number OF the counties,
that NAM of the agriculturists now
transfer their produce by auto truck
to the shipping point or market place,
and the old numbering farm wagon
with its clogged wheels and mud'be'
spattered sides is nov almost Q thing
OF the past.
Something more than ten million
dollars has been put into Mississip'
pts highways since the beginning OF
this movement, and among the notable
benefits accruing as q civic invest
ment must be mentioned q marked
impetus to the establishment OF con.
solidated schools whereby the country
child now has the advantage OF a high
school education as we'll rs q more ex'
tended scope OF association and en-
vironment; the promotion Of all com
munity activities; the encouragement
Of rural mail deliveries. and the plac'
ing OF the opportunities, and enjoy
ment OF city life within easy reach OF
the farmer and his family.
All this and much more for less &C.
tual cost than the mud tax" Of lost
time, damage and distress to which
the country man was erstwhile a prey
when he watched the clouds in misery,
fearing that II he got the rain needed
to make his crops grow the roads
would become impossible, so that
| whatever truck he had on hand
would rot before he could get to town
with 1t. 1t is estimated that this
old mud tax" cost the farmers more
in actual dollars and cents than all
his other taxes combined.
While the ten million dollars already
expended has given Mississippi the
nucleus for a splendid highway sys
TEN, it will be necessary to spend
three times that much before this sys
tenn shall be complete. To secure the
money for this purpose within a rea
sonable time without an additional
taxation It Is essential that the States
population be increased and more Of
her idle lands put into use with a cor
responding increase in tax values or
what had been waste property.
As n definite step to this end the
Mississippi Centennial Exposition will
bring many thousands Of people here
to whom the unsurpassed natural re
sources Of this State have been hither
to rs a sealed book. The Ions
stretches Of cutover lands will hole
an alluring appeal for home seekers
who have come and see with theil
own eyes what perseverance an(
thrift may accomplish in this land o.
golden opportunity. With each ten
acre field that Is planted the Stat,
will be enriched by an additional tai
value Of forty dollars, Thus may oul
waste lands be expected, within tn,
next ten years, to bloom into thou
sands Of tidy little farms and villages
between which smooth highways will
run rs the natural arteries Of com
merce. And all his will be primAril,
superinduced by the great attraction
and advertising value OF the Centen
NAL Exposition.