Lexington dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1917-1919, 1919-09-24
WHY NOT PAVE?


work which has been done on the
National Highway in Lexington
County has demonstrated that the
road will some day be a JOY to the
travelling public, the part which has
already been finished being first
class road. Unfortunately, however,
progress is slow because only the
changing force is available for con-
struction. At the present rate it will
be a long time before the road is
completed, and in the meantime other
parts of the county must necessarily
suffer. Why would it not be possible
to ipaugurate movement for hard
surfacing that part of the road be-
tween Lexington and Columbia with
out waiting for the completion Of the
other part? It is to be doubted
whether there is q road in the state
which must stand the volume and
weight of traffic to which this part
Of the Capital Highway is subjected.
Over it much Of the produce with
which life is sustained in Columbia
flows daily and likewise numbers Of
heavy trucks bring back to Lexington
the merchandise which Columbians
are wont to sell to Lexington. Does
it not seem folly to build for such
traffic roadbed at best incapable Of
standing up to the strain and at the
same time make inadequate provis-
ion for the upkeep Of even such a
road? Would it not in the end prove
more economical to build a turnpike
capable Of resisting the enormous
wear to which this piece of road is
subjected and for which the upkeep
would be lessened in proportion to the
permanence Of it's construction?
Before work has reached this Sec
ton Of the road we suggest that this
matter be thoroughly threshed out by
the powers that be.
With paved road to Columbia and
a. trolley line passing through Lexing-
ton and connecting with the Aiken
Augusta line there would soon be a
development in this county that would
add materially to our population and
wealth. Between Lexington and Co.
lumbia lies some of the finest property
FOR residential development that is to
be found in South Carolina. With the
overcrowded condition of the Capital
City this property could soon be made
to provide homes for many who desire
to be removed from the close confine-
ment of city life. Furthermore,
while Lexington practically feeds Col
umbia, with better transr tation ia
cilities she could perform this duty at
a saving to both parties
One industry which is not developed
to anything like its prospects is dairy
ing. Statistics show that Columbia's s
use of milk per capita is the lowest
of almost any city in the country and
that the cost of milk is higher in Col
unIbia than in most cities. With
milk trains from Lexington carried
daily over an electric line there is
hardly doubt that the milk consump-
tson of Columbia could be materially
increased. Certain it is that thous-
ands of pounds of butter substitutes
are used in Columbia daily, and there
is no good reason why Lexington could
not add to her wealth the income
from this source and at the same time
give her neighbors in Columbia a
more wholesome and palatable article
of food. And too Columbia uses thous-
ands of cold storage eggs, all of which
might be dispensed with if Lexington
were willing to go further into this
industry. .., :.>.ss:
The bolll weevil is knocking at our
door. IL fact has already entered the
lower part of the county. which will
make it still more necessary to look
elsewhere for living than the plant
ing of cotton. Transportation will aid
more materially in the solution Of
the problem of changing our mode Of
farming than almost any factor ex-
eept individual initiative
What does Columbia say about a
trolley line and what docs Lexington
say about paved road to the capital I?