The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-08-07

Secretary Reardon and Engi-
neer Make Tour
'TURBEvILLE CITIZENS
ARE INTERVIEWED
Many Planters Are Dissatisfied
Oyer Present Prices of To-
baeco

A. ID. Thompson, county engineer
land r. l. Reardon, secretary OF the
Sumter, county Chamber Of Commerce
were out through the eastern portions
OF Sumter and Clarendon counties
last Wednesday, the former inspect
Ing highways, arranging for camp
for his road gang and preparing to
rebuild the Hudson bridge ON Lynches
River and generally overhaul roads
Throughout Shiloh and Mayesyille
townships. and Secretary Reardon ad-
Ivertising the Sumter tobacco mark ct
as being wide open and paying the
highest prices Of any South Carolina
market. They went by Turbeville to
confer with the local committee about
that section voting into Sumter county
and to discuss the proposed Turbeviile
short cut road should Turbeville vote
into this county.
These two Sumterites had an un-
hleasant experience between Turbeville
and New Zion in Clarendon county
when their car went down to the
mud shields in the biggest and soup
lest" mud hole they ever encountered
since Mr.. Thompson left the Panama
Canal works - st M
They had "a time IN. mud to their
anSles and in. u heavy down pour OF
rain which came up just as the car
went into the hole. Being patient
citizens they had sense enough to. get
In out of the rain, and climbed into
their car TO await cessation Of the
wet weather. A negro girl cama
along with a big juicy looking water
melon which they purchased and for a
while forgot their troubles. But. con-
tentment like troubles, have their
time limitations. SO they had to pile
out and with the assistance of two
travellers they pulled out the car.
Secretary Reardon told the Turbe-
Vile committee that he would not
again visit furbeville unless he could
get Mayor Jennings, to take him
through Clarendon county in the
mayors flying machine because the
roads and bridges through Clarendon
are death defying, deep and dilapi-
dated.
Notwithstanding the rain they saw
many men, boys, women. and girls of
both races industrial.y occupied in the
fields pulling and hauling tobacco TO
the curing barns where hundreds
more were busy sticking and tieing,
and getting ready to cure the weed.
Talks with many tobacco producers
and merchants ELECTED the informa-
tion that hundreds of farmers are
weeks behind in the first and second
curines of their tobacco, and that hun-
dreds or thousands of pounds have
been cured and the farmers have not
yet had time to sell same, and that
many are holding for a raise in prices
which they think will come with fair
weather and sApett ter grades of tobacco.
Many tobacco growers expressed their
satisfaction with the Sumter tobacco
market as paying as high, and some
higher prices than other markets.
They all naturally wanted all they can
get.A 49,
But they are not pleased with the
recent slump in prices which they.
however, believe to be merely tempo
lrary. &We. r S.
Engineer Thompson will have the
survey for the Dabbs short cutt road
recently authorized to be built start
ed next week and this work will be
done by contractors as soon as the f.
nal survey and plans are completed,
which will take only a short time.
! The roads and bridges in the 4ex-
trsme eastern sections of Sumter
through the Shiloh sections were
found in good condition. in fact. they
looked and they rode, like the latest
improved model 1920 highways when
compared with the highways of Clar-
endon county through which they ira
veled. But Sumter county As not sat
Iisfied with the present condition of tn
roads and propose to make our public
highways the very best that can be
made Of them under the circumt
staaces until hard surfaced roads can
be constructed.