The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1920-01-29

OF tourists traVerSlng theSe highways
would not be attracted to South Car
olina and settle here, some of them
permanently. Mr.. Wheeler said that
the automobiles Of 80 per cent. of
the tourists visiting Florida are ship
ped there either by boat or rail be-
cause of the inferior roads Of this
section.
"You can see", he said, "what an
economic loss this entails on the
State of South Carolina. If it had a
system of hard-surfaced roads con-
Meeting like highways from the East
to the South, it would cause tourists
to travel by automobile through this
section, and thousands of dollars
would be spent in this State by these
tourists"
Mr.. Wheeler asks this question:
"Can South Carolina, with all her
wealth in taxable property, banking
resources and government resources,
afford to be contented with her pres
ent road-building program, while her
sister States are appropriating money
by the millions for State highways? :?
For instance, Maine is going to spend
S12,000,000; for State highways, Ala
bama, S25,OOO,OOO; Florida, $3,000,-
900; New York, s5O,OOO,OOO; Illinois,
s6O,OO0,0OO; Idaho, s15,000,000; Vir-
ginia, $4O,0OO,0OO; Georgia, S5O,O0O,-
600; Arkansas, Ss,000,000; and Ten
nesseee $50,OOO,0OO. North Carolina
is likewise considering legislation for
improved highways"
Clement S. Ucker, of Baltimore, eX-
ecutive president of the South
em Settlement and Development Or
ganization, with which the South Car
olina Landowners Association is af-
filiated, in a recent letter to various
development associations of the
Southeast has this to say relative to
great hard-surfaced highway from
the North to the South:
"We already have continuous
macadam highway from Baltimore
to Washington. Now, since the South
en States undoubtedly would build
good roads with federal aid, l feel
| that our combined influence ought to
see to it that a road was built from
Washington to Richmond, Richmond
to Raleigh, Raleigh to Columbia, and
then on down the most expeditions
route to Miami and at later date,
branches of this should be advocated,
if possible, from Norfolk to Whining
ton, Wilmington to Charleston, Char
lesion to Savannah and on down. 1t
would mean bridge-building, but
bridges have to be any how sooner
or later, and feel sure it would not
be a far stretch to get congressional
aid, even in the bridge building.
"Then, what l have furthermore
in mind, is that each of these States
should be induced to plant ornamen-
tai trees along these roads, and that
here and there typical North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Georgia or
Florida hotel should be erected, and
the cooking in these hotels should be
famous; that, at every one-half days
travel, there should be lunch sta
ton, distinctly Southern, which should
also become famous, .and then grad
ually the various States should ex-
tend that effort north of the Mason
and Dixon line, for instance, through
New England. Some of the Southern
States ought to maintain for adver-
tising purposes throughout the year,
a Florida, or a Georgia, or a Carolina
lunch station, where on Sundays a
Southern dinner could be had at a
standard rate"
"a continuous highway from Bos-
ton to Manu." continued Mr.. Ucker,
"is not a far cry. It is built already
from Boston to Washington. Virgil
MIA is bound to build some good
roads, so is North Carolina, South
Carolina and Georgia, and Florida
has her good roads already built.
Now, if Virginia and the Carolinas,
Georgia and Florida, could try this:
Get their governors, their represen-
tatives in Congress, their board OF
trades, chambers of commerce and
the newspapers together-why the
thing would be DONE"