The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1919-07-31
THE POOR MANS PRICE

The condition of the roads in Ches-
terheld County after the recent hard
rains must have caused some concern
even to the most confirmed disbeliever
In modern improvements. That in this
day of motor vehicles there should be
such roads as lead through our county
seat, and that these roads are in daily
use by people who have experienced
the benefits of real thoro0ghfares, is
almost beyond belief.
The amount of extra expense in
fuel, oil, damage to cars, necessary
delays, actual money lost by not 60
ing somewhere that one should have
gone, that the condition of roads in
this neighborhood has cost car owners
IN the past week will amount to far
more than the proportionate tax on
good roads in many months.
Thus it is that we are paying the
poor mans price for our roads. The
poor man is supposed to buy cheap
goods. AS long as he does so he re-
mains poor. Buying cheap goods
will make a rich man poor; but the
man who knows enough to get rich
usually knows enough to stay rich,
thereore he buys good goods. Be-
sides being kept poor the poor man
never gets what he really wants.
Consequently the poor mans price is
the highest price.
So, when we refuse to pay for
good roads on the plea that we are
too poor, we are paying the highest
price beause, however little we pay,
we pay too much to be wasted on
road maintainance that does not
maintain because it is insufficient
MtCroghan and Cheraw Townships
have seen the light and are now pre-
pairing to build highways that will
leave the town Of Chesterfield iso-
lated. Many of us now get our only
pleasure out of motoring in the ad-
Joing State Of North Carolina. That
is form of cheating that the inter-
state license priviledges permit Why
should North Carolina furnish us
good roads when we do not retaliate?
If good roads were an experiment
there might be some excuse. But good
roads are no experiment. Twenty
five or thirty years ago the good
roads movement was started by the
League of American Wheelmen, an
organization Of bicycles riders From
the first path that was constructed
for the use of the little two wheeled
machine benefits began to accrue to
the localities that were thus con-
nected. And these benefits have con-
tinued to multiply as roads have been
built throughout the country Poor
communities have been made rich by
no effort of their own, but because
other communities found it advisable
to build roads through them Some
poor communities have made them
selves rich by having the foresight
to build roads, even though they had
to mortgage their very suspenders to
do it. In Los Angeles, California,
where roads are good and Ford Ii
enses cost SO year, a carburetor is
sold with the guarantee that your
Ford will travel thirty six miles on a
single gallon of gasoline. The guar
antee only holds good on California
roads. 1t is time that we began to
think about these things and that is
the objet of this dissertation. Ches-
tertield will have good roads. Those
who don't want them will not be able |
to stand long in the way Of PROCESS,
if those who do want them will make |
an effort. There are more who want
them than who don't. Also, those
who want them are worth two to one
and then some of those who don't. |
So wen have them