The Union daily times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1918-current, 1919-01-06
GOOD ROADS MEETING
AT COLUMBIA FRIDAY
BY Jas. u. Carberry.

A lively spirit was in eiderce Fri
day at Jeffersdn Hotel, Columbia, dur
ing the entire period of the meeting
of the special committee to formulate
and set into activity working plans
for the Good Roads movement now
sweeping the entire country.
Mr. Carl Baer, the first speaker,
brought stirring message from Illi-
nois where the movement seems not
only to have accomplished greater re-
suits than elsewhere, but where the
entire state is already enjoying bene-
fits out of all proportion to the cost
which was largely borne by the au-
tomobiles. He further stated that Mr..
Eatons, the head of that great maye.
mcnt had promised in the near future
to spend week in South Carolina to
assist in the same work here. "Seven
years ago." said Mr.. Baer, "the peopl
Of Illinois asked the automobile own
ers to pay thirty million dollars for
the accomplishment of main arteries
iE the good roads movement, and the
state was asked to provide similar
sum-" The state finally declined to
pay it's apportionr1ent and the sum
of sixty million dollars was raised and
paid with tax of from $1,000 to
$4,000 levied on the automobiles and
the saving in gasoline and tires is
claimed, alone, to have been twice the
amount Of te direct tax named" "The
car and the boy are the power of this
country" contended Mr.. Baer.
Secretary A. v. Schnell of the
Charleston Chamber of Commerce,
spoke of the necessity fer adopting
some such plan in South Carolina,
first, the establishment Of main high
ways, the cost to be paid frori auto
mobile tax, and later, the tributaries
of these main arteries, which would be
found 80 necessary, would be built by
taxing the farmer, who would be the
thief beneficiary and additionally en-
JOY gratis the benefits from the main
highways to which he had rot con-
tributed.
Mr.. Rhett, of Charleston, and presi-
dent of the chamber of commerce of
the United States, then spoke, stating
first, that South Carolina is now in
the midst Of great crisis which fol-
lows every war. He also asserted
that South Carolina had not enjoyed
equal opportunity with other parts of
our great country, having been oer-
shadowed by New York exchanges.
Mr.. Rhett stated the very small in
come of the people of South Carolina
in 1914, compared with income of the
present year Of two hundred and fifty
millions of dollars, with eigty to one
hundred million income from the cot
ton mills, the total income for state
being much greater than ever before.
"The motor trucks have come to
stay" said Mr.. Rhett, "and this form
Of transportation, like the automobile
in common use requires a good road
built for permanency and to withstand
the hard usage. The cost of such
roads varying from nine to eighteen
feet in width alternately would ,ir
Mr.. Rhett's opinion, cost about 1926
per squire yard under conditions
which we may reasonably expect tc
, prevail in very sort time, and at this
rate, twenty-six million dollars woult
construct the permanent highways ir
question in South Carolina.
"The purpose Of this meeting
continued Mr.. Rhett, "is to create def
mite and approved plans which may
be submitted to the legislature will
the request that Highway Commits
sion be appointed which shall hav,
charge of constructing and maintain
ing the highways in question from in
dependent funds for the main arteries
and that the required sum could M
doubt be raised by increasing tn
present automobile tax Of .25 he