The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, 1920-02-18
THE COST OF DIRT ROADS
(Abbeville Press and Banner.)


exhibited to us his tax receipt for last
year. The rate of taxation in that
county, without a court house and
without Jail, is thirty milis-nearly
twice the rate Of taxation in this
county.
What causes the high rate in that
county, you ask? 1t is caused by the
fact that some two years ago McCor-
mick County issued bonds to the a.
mount of one hundred and seventy
five thousand dollars for so-called
good roads--roads to be built out OF
dirt
Well. YOU say, the tax rate is not
so large if the people have good roads.
But have they, Our understanding IS
that only about one-half the roads
proposed to be worked were IN tact
worked. The work done was grad
ing, bridging, and widening Of the
roads where they were too narrow.
No kind Of top-dressing was put on
the roads, they are just plain dirt
roads.
The result: Well the roads were
improved somewhat last summer, but
Of course during the present winter
they are rough again, rougher per-
haps than they would have been had
they not been regarded, because new
road will more easily cut into holes
and ruts than an older and longer
travelled road In two OR three years
the roads will be just what they were,
except that the county will have the
benefit of the grading and of the
bridges which have been built. The
property holders in the county will
be paying taxes still for good roads
which they have not yet seen, and
people will be wiser than they are to-
day. Perhaps by that time some sys-
tenn of making really good roads will
have been devised and other counties
will be building really goo droads,
while Mccormick will be so badly in
debt and so thoroughly disgusted with
the good roads business that it viii.
be Never again" with the good peo-
pie over that way.
All of which warns us that if the
people of this state desire good roads
they should go at it in the right way.
The General Assembly should, in the
first place, make those people who are
demanding the good roads pay for
them. Two hundred and fifty miles
of good roads may be built the pres
ent year out of an adequate automo-
bile license tax, properly graduated as
to the different makes of cars, and
with the money thus in hand the
State, without taxing people who are
not so much interested in good roaoe,
may construct enough miles Of roads
to educate the people in the value Of
these roads, and give them an idea Of
tie, cost of constructing the same.
Should the people of Abbeville
County vote six hundred thousand dol
lars in bonds for the building of dirt
roads, the-roads will be widened, they
will be 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
speaking 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 pres
ent bill will ever be completed. The
roads will cost so much more than is
row believed that either they will be
abandoned because they cannot be
constructed lat an average of five
thousand dollars per mile, or they will
be constructed at a mach higher cost.
and thus fewer miles will be built
Unless the people are ready to pay
for permanent roads we believe that
1t would be wise to adopt the sug-
gestion of Capt. Shaw and levy a
little more taxes, raise the commuta
ton tax, and employ a certain amount
of the taxes thus raised in widening
the roads and grading the more diff
cult places.
Permanent roads are coming in our
Judgment 1t were better, we be-
lieve, to wait and build the best. Un-
til then we should make the best pos
sible use Of what we have.
AETSSTNN