The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-07
ARKANSAS TO SPEND
$50, 900, 900 ON ROADS

To many persons In Kentucky and
east OF Kentucky Arkansas Is state,
somewhere in the Southwest. which
contains Little Rock and Fort Smith
and Hot Springs and few other CEN
ters OF population state known
vaguely as a producer OF whetstones
and OF legends illustrative of the con-
ditions OF life in swap and backwoods,
the state in which the man In overalls
replied to the inqufrfnE traveller; No.
stranger, hain't so poor as you
Imagine. don't own the farm. am
the hired man
That Arkansas has undertaken to
spend $4,000. 600 for nearly 5000 miles
of hard roads. n little moro than So
600 for each mile OF road. and that the
reads are to be built within i've years,
connecting all county seats. and meet
Ing interstate roads. will give many
Fasteners and Middle Southerners a
new view OF the state in which the
meathouse was not covered when 1t
was not raining because when 1t was
rot raining no roof was needed and
not covered when 1t was raining be-
cause when it was raining 1t was i'm
possible to put on roof.
Arkansas will employ more than
80, 600 laherefs. about 1900 teams, f5e
civil engineers-not practical road
b
the construction period Afterward a
small army will be employed in main
tcnance work. BY the system of roads
Arkansas proposes to get out OF for
ests and swamps. to get up and down
mountains. to get about between fer
tile farms and growing cities: to 60
to and fro quite generally and freely
and in the happiness Of circumstances
The roads will cost everybody a good
deal. but everybody in Arkansas, II
seems, understands that roads are
worth great deal and nearly every.
body IL willing to spend good deal
to get great deal in return, Cheap
roads make n cheap state and Arkan-
sans do not feel that It pays for states
to be ptkers In the matter of improve
ments.
and productive than many persons east
of the Mississippi imagine It to be,
but considerable part Of It's min
eral and timber resources and millions
OF fertile acres remain sequestered be-
cause Of had roads. These sources Of
wealth will be acquired-inasmuch as
nothing valuable Is acquired until it
is possessed under such conditions that
use can be made OF it--by building
hard roads. For $8o.0on.oo0 Arkansas
Is going to buy her resources so to
speak and make money upon them. in
addition to providing means for pay-
ing visits without paying the penalty
OF hard travel. 1t In expected that
the land under cultivation will be dou-
bled and hundreds of square miles of
virgin forest will become marketable
timber. The road bonds are selling
above par--in a period when the mar.
ket for bonds Is supposed generally to
be near the point OF saturation-ard
they are being sold largely to Eastern
buyers whose representatives have in
vestigated road making In Arkansas,
with regard to Arkansas resources. as
a business proposition.
The largest single road making pro-
5ect In America today is the Little
Rock Louisiana road It is getting
more federal aid than any other pro-
1ect in the United States. The great
est problem. 1t is stated, In procure
ment OF sufficient labor at a time when
many European laborers who went
homo to night are at home, probably
to remain. Nevertheless Arkansas IL
SONG ahead. to create a short haul. in
the form OF a graded haul and a smooth
one. for her mire locked and hill
locked resources. As result the
Arkansas Opie Read knew when he
was the editor of the Arkansas Traveller
and the Arkansas OF the Fasteners
Imagination will be obliterated by the
Arkansas which will have access to.
and give access to, the wide world.
A hint Of the developrnent-t o-be In
tie Mississippi valley. region Of
boundless unrealized wealth, lies in
the manner In which Arkansas u
"plunging" for good roads