The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1919-04-04
THOUSANDS GATHER
AT FLINT MEETING
Celebration of New BRIDGE OPENING
Between Americas and Vienna
Big Highway Event.

Americas, April 2.-Five thousand
persons, coming in thousand auto
mobiles, and representing all sections
of Sumter, Dolly, Crisp and Macon
counties, assembled today at the Muir
ray Ferry site to participate in the
formal opening of the steel and con.
crete bridge erected over Flint river
at that point Jointly by Sumter and
Dooly counties. The gathering was
monster permanent roads rally. An
old-fashioned barbecue was served
shortly after noon. Hundreds of visi-
tors brought baskets with them, thus
supplementing the barbecue, and
there was Il an abundance Of good
things to eat.
Frank T. Reynolds, secretary of the
Georgia State Automobile Association,
was the chief speaker and his plea
for permanent roads built with bonds
received the enthusiastic applause of
the entire assemblage. Tremendous
applause greeted his statements that
the states forty million dollars high
way project would probably be pass
ed by the Legislature at its session
in June, thus providing another source
OF revenue from which the various
counties viii ldraw funds for the con-
struction of permanent highways. He
said that under the states highway
plan every county seat in Georgia
would be connected with a perma-
nent paved highway, and told one
feature of interest especially through
out this section.
Another Bridge Planned
1.-THE plans" he said, contemplate
the building of bridge across Flint
at Hugenin Ferry, on the road from
Americas and Leslie to Cordele. This
bridge is certain to be built, and the
road paved all the way between these
points, whether the people want it
or not because it is part of the state
vide scheme and will be carried out
by the state.
"ln Sumter county" he continued,
cotton a year. The government by
Investigations has found that you lose
S. from every bale of cotton you pro
duce because of bad roads. This
means that dirt roads cost Sumter
county $125,O00 per year 1t is a
simple matter to see that this vast
amount will pay interest and create
a sinking. fund on your bonds, for
permanent roads, besides providing
for their maintenance. In other words,
permanent highways will actually cost
you not one cent of money, for your
saving in cotton alone will more than
pay for the improvements.
Land Values Increase
"Another thing. The government
has proved that permanent highways
add $4,000 per mile to the saleable
value of all of the lands they touch.
This means that the tax returns from
the increased values of the land in
your county along these roads will
more than pay the interest on these
highway bonds"
Leland j.. Henderson, of the Dixie
Overland Highway Association, was
present and told of plans to route the
Florida short line for tourists south
of Columbus, saying thirty-tive thou
sand sigftseers would use this road
in travelling by automobile to Florida
during the coming winter
Judge o. T. Cover, of Cordele, made
ali address and Congressman Charles
R. Crisp also made short speech.
The gathering, it is considered, con-
stituted one of the greatest demands
for permanent roads ever made by a
people in the history of Georgia.