French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1919-03-13
DIR. MORSE ON THE
STATE ROAD RIL.
Letter to Charlotte Observer Meets
"itn Approval Of That Paper
opposed to Amy Sort of Countrr
Unit System.

ment:
The legislature appears to have
gone to sleep on the good roads ques-
Con. So far there has been no pro-
gress for any bill which has been in
troduced toward securing Federal aid
IN constructing a system. of State
highways, and enthusiasm evidently is
at low ebb. At last reports the Leg
1slature was faced with a proposition
that would bring the road-building
system back to section-hand days,
leaving it to the counties to do their
part in any manner that best suited
their pleasure, The Observer is print
ing an article teday from an authc=
rlty on good road which goes TO en-.
phasize the drawbacks that are in tho
way of the latest proposition. Doctor
Morse is the builder of the highway
to the top of Chimney Rock. He has
given much study to the subject of
highway construction, and he is al
authority entirely competent to speak
He relates certain local conditions
which will be recognized as the bane
OF past highway undertakings in the
State. There is no road conEecting
any two important points in North
Carolina that does not afford visible
evidence to the force Of his argument.
The Observer does not believe that :.
law providing for such a haphazarG
manner of investing road money
would meet the approval of ahe Gov
ernment. System and concentrated
authority are the prime objecrs to DC
sought in any form Of good roads
legislation, and any bill from which
these essentials are lacking would
fall below requirements. The LegIs-
lature cannot afford to fail the State
in its expectations of the enactmen:
of an intelligently drawn and Satls-
factory road-building law, and as the
days speed by the concern of the peo~
pie that the General Assembly should
get together on the enactment o. a
road law which will meet the require
ments of the Federal Government Is
growing manifestly uneasy.-ChaT-
lotte Observer.
DR.. Morse's letter was as follows:
To, the Editor of The Observer.
=, I. have observed with profound re-
gret the latest phase of the road mat
ter in Raleigh by which they cont9m-
plate returning in part at least to the
county unit system. I confess that I
thought that we had gotten away
from any smaller area than the state
as a whole as to money raising unit.
While was in Raleigh I only heard
the county unit mentioned to be con-
and to see it again crop orrl
at this late hour is to say the least
1 know how you, like so many have
opposed anything less than a state
wide program. To depend upon coun-
ty initiative and the reactionary etti-
tude which is all too commonly char
acteristic Of the smaller counties Will
block continuity of highway construc-
ton. 1t simply means that there will
be an extensive road development In
the weather. and more progressive
counties-where better roads are in
evitable under any circumstances
leaving the poorer counties to consti-
tute the weak link in the chain.
Just this, you so full well appre-
ciate is what we most strenuously Try
TO avoid. It matters not how good
road may be in part, if its construc-
ton is not relatively uniform, its use
fulness as a cross-state or inter-couE-
ty highway is materially damaged.
Not only this but whole sections OF
country will become "held up, as II
were. because of any such plan which
will be sure to bring ABOUT la0h -
uniformity.
There are instances all over the
state of North Carolina as every one
knows where certain counties have
blocked the. development OF cross
state highways. 1t has not alone Been
lack of initiative or indeed to ten
dency to reaction. but in many cases
counties as a result of special ieg'sla-
ton have not had it in their power 20
raise the necessary money even %
comn1v with the lesse- demands nnt
upon them by the older federal ai0
law. This being the case, what m
deed can We expect to accomplish IN
an effort to bring about state nlsn-
ways! A peculiar case in point too is
wAsrs the CAarlOtts-AshsTi!as hgA-