The Chesterfield advertiser. [volume] (Chesterfield C.H., S.C.) 1884-1978, 1919-02-20
ROCK HILL MAN URGES
BETTER ROADS AND SCHOOLS

R. A. Wilson, of Rock Hill, argues
in q recent issue of The State, that
there are two things that South Caro-
lima needs more than anything else at
This time. They are better roads
and better education.
"In education" says Mr.. Wilson,
1--WE stand at the bottom of the list of
States, and am not so sure but that
our standing in roads is just about
rs bad. If We ever expect to develop
into a great State and palce our
selves in position to take advantage
of the wonderful opportunities that
we are blessed with, We will have to
overcome these two outstanding diff
ficulties.
"The two questions are so infinite
ly connected that it is we'll nigh i'm
possible to separate them. If we
ever have better education the good
roads will follow and if we have the
good roads better education will fol-
low.
"If you will pardon personal ref
erence would like to cite an expert
ence of my own that will illustrate
the value of good roads. own a farm
upon which 1 have been trying to
raise produce to supply my hotel.
The road is so bad that it is not prof
liable to bring the produce in O. cry
day as we need it. On account of this
condition have been trying to buy
a place on better road and sell the
place / now have. / have been Of
fered $50 per acre for my place and
the best price that can find on a
good road they ask 500 per acre for
and the land is nothing like so good
as the land on my place. Now there
is a difference of $40. per acre due
absolutely to a better road. Now
did it ever occur to you that we could
have the best roads that money and
engineering ability could construct
for a very small fraction of this diff
ference?
at is useless to waste time and
space. trying to stress the value Of
good roads, for l believe that they
are valuable beyond measure. The
thing that concerns us most is how
are we going to get them. This ques-
ton has been answered in a masterful
manner by the State highway cam
paign committee in cooperation with
the State highway commission. Their
plan is absolutely practical and fair.
"The question arises as to the
fairness of taxing the automobile for
the proposed highway system. To
start with the roads were fairly salts
factory for horse-drawn traffic before
the automobile came into existence.
1t is well recognized fact that au-
tomobiles tear up roads worse than
horse-drawn vehicles. Another thing
20 be considered is, who is asking for
better roads, the farmer or the auto
owner. If there has ever been any
concerted movement on the part of
the farmers for better roads l have
never heard of it. On the other hand,
the auto owners are raising a howl
from the mountains to the sea for
better roads, and they are asking no
one to pay for them either. They say
build the roads and let US pay for
them. Now, of course, such a sys-
tenn of roads is bound to benefit a
for,,,or hauopd v,,ooo,ro h,,. 1. ha :.
satisfied with what he has al is un-
willing to pay for any improvement,
and the auto owner is not satisfied
with what he has and is willing to
pay for something better, I am at a
loss to understand why he should not
be allowed to pay the bill. Most es-
pecially when he is going to make
about 500 per cent. on his investment.
Another question that is some
times asked is, what assurance will
the property holder have that there
will be any automobiles to pay the
taxes in ten years from now? am
unwilling to believe that there is an
intelligent man in the State who has
any idea that the time will come
when there will not be some kind of a
motor-driven vehicle to use the roads
and pay the tax. The gasoline en-
gine may be superseded by some form
of power unknown at the present
time, but there will still be motor
driven vehicles on the roads subject