The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-02-16
GOOD ROADS.

In order to give the people of this county as much
information as possible on the question Of road
buildnp. the Press and Banner is itself seeking
information from those who are in position to know
something of road building. A few days ago we
wrote Capt. Ellison A. Smyth with regard TO 1he
roads in Greenvlle County. Elsewhere in this issue
Capt Smyth's reply to our letter will be found
telling US of his observations with regard to good
roads in Greenville County What he has to say
is worth considering
There are one or two things in Capt. Smyth's let
ter which should be carefully considered. One is
that any kind of road will need attention, and
that when the roads,, of whatever kind, are built
the people will not have finished their task AS
Can't. Smyth expresses it, "Good roads are like lib
erty. and need constant vigilance to insure their
usefulness and efficiency"
Then again, the people should think of what he
says about the top soil roads in GreenVllle County.
These roads, he says, have "on the whole been
"eminently satisfactory, PROVIDED they are
scraped when required" And just here Capt. Smyth
gives US some idea of the work necessary to keep
the top soil roads "good" He says these roads
should be scraped "certanly every two MONTHS
indicating clearly that in his opinion work should
be done on the roads much ofener than once in two
months if the roads are to be kept in proper con-
dition for fast travelling.
Another thing sugge is itself to Capt. Smyth and
= that is the dif!cu. J in replacing the top SOIL The
nearby supply, we judge, from his letter soon be-
comes exhausted and in order to secure the mater
ial for remedying defects in the roads due to use
it becomes necessary as time goes along to obtain
~; eo;1f n1o and nnor
And in order to give idea as to the length
of time which this top soil remains on the road,
after stating las we have already quoted) that the
roads must me worked at least once every tro
months, Capt Smyth says that the greatest enemy
of the top soil roads is the cut-out the motor
cars, principally on the trucks.
/ From all of which we Judge that it is the opinion
OF Capt. Smyth that if Abbevile County expended
six hundred thousand dollars on top soil roads, and
then worked them only in two years or once in
five years, or not at all, as is the custom in some
places in Abbeville County, the cut-outs would
blow away all that the rains did not wash away. And
as a pertinent question in the circumstances
would like to ask the people who keep track of these
things if the roads which we already have would
not be passable practically every day in the year if
they were worked every two months
1t becomes and more apparent to every
day that it is loss of time and waste Of money
and good materials to build dirt roads We should
at least build something which the rains will not
wash away, and something which the cut-outs will
not blow into the adjoining fields if we to at
tempt road building by the thousands of dollars.
But let the people think about it all. The decis-
ion is with them. We invite them to read Capt.
Smyth's letter and urge them to think about its
contents as well as to investigate for themselves.
They the people who will decide the ssue as
well as the people who will pay the freight They
are therefore interested in having the goods de-
livered.