The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-02-02
THE COST OF DIRT ROADS.

Some days ago gentleman VINO OWNS piopeA''
in Mccormick County exhibited to US MS taA
ceint for last year. The rate of taxatlon In tha'
countv without court house and without a JAIL Is
thirty mills-nearly twice the rate of taxation IN
this county. .-..
What causes the high rate in that county, you ASK
r, is caused by the fact that same two years ago
Mccormick County issued bonds to the amount -
one hundred and seventy five thousand dollars l'i
so-caled good roads-roads to be built out Oh dlr''
Well, YOU say, the tax rate is not so large IL 'he
people have good roads. But have they! our un-
derstanding is that only about one-half tne roaus
nronosed to be worked were in fact worked Inc
work done was grading, bridging, and widening Oh
the roads where they were too narrow NO KIM OIL
+on-drass;np was put on the roads, they are just
plain dirt roads.
The result. Well the roads were improved some
what last summer but of course during the present
winter thew are rough again, rougher perhaps than
thew would have been had they not been regarded
because new road will more easily cut into, noles
and ruts than an older and longer-traVeled road In
two or three years the roads will be just what they
were except that the county will have the beneht OF
the grading and Of the bridges which have been
built. The property holders in the conuty will be
paying taxes still for good roads which they have
not yet seen and people will be wiser than they are
today. Perhaps by that time some system OF max
ing really good roads will have been devised and
other counties will be building really good roads,
while Mccormick will be so badly in debt and SO
thoroughly disgusted with the good roads business
that it will be "Never again. with the good people
over that way.
All of which warns US that if the people OF this
state desire good roads they should 60 at 1t IN the
right way The General Assembly should, in the
first place, make those people who are demandlns
the good roads pay for them. Two hundred anu
fftv miles of good roads may be built the present
wear out of an adequate automobile license taH'
nronerlv graduated as to the different makes OF
cars, and with the money thus in hand the Seate'
without taxing people who are not so mucn lhteres'
ed in good roads, may construct enough miles OIL
roads to educate the people in the value OF THESE
roads. and give them an idea of the cost OF con-
structing the same
Should the people of Abbeville County vote six
bnndred thousand dollars in bonds for the building
of dirt roads the roads will be wdehed, they will
he better graded and when the work is done the
roads will be better perhaps than they are now.
But in five years we will be back practically speak
ing where we started Any top-dressing now put
on the roads will be gone, it will not be replaced,
and we will be in the ruts again Besides, not half
the roads called for by the present bill will ever De
completed. The roads will cost SO much more than
is now believed that either they will be abandoned
because they cannot be constructed at an average
of five thousands dollars per mile, or they will be
constructed at much higher cost, and thus fewer
miles will be built.
Unless the people are ready to pay for permanent
roods we believe that it would be wise to adopt the
suggestion of Capt. Shaw and levy little more
taxes, raise the communication tax and employ GER
tain amount of the taxes thus raised in widening
the roads and grading the more difficult places
Permanent roads are coming in our judgment. 1t
were better, we believe, to wait and build the best
Until then we should make the best possible use OF
what we have.