The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-05-25

Thousand OOll2rS was COnSlueIeu d
fair price by county delegation for /
a new Jail and the nearest approach !
TO this price we could get was some |
sixty odd thousand dollars, as be-
tween people that transsreSsed the |
law and thereby are confined in this !
building and the taXpay-
er, my idea would be to conserve the !
taxpayers interest as against the
comfort and convenience of the law
breaker, who by their own deliberate !
act caused their misfortune OF nav
ing to occupy the old jail.
Mr.. Jennings takes great pride IN
imagining that he is the pioneer IN
all improvements Of every nature IN
the city and county but as a matter
OF fact these Improvements began
before he was ever heard Of in public
life. When only few years from
the country a commission OF three
or four citizens were appointed TO
act with three members of counci!
in the construction Of the sewerage
system of this town, was put on
this commission by the city councll
with the late w. B. Boyle, as mayor
and helped to build il. subsequent
lv l was elected on city council un-
der the old form Of government and
under the commission form OF gov
ernment 1 was reelected and have
been identified in the city's affairs un
til L resigned last summer. Mr.. I. u.
Rowland was elected as councilman
under the commission form OF gov
ernmeht and my recollection is that
at the very first meeting OF council
thereafter he brought the question OF
paving streets on the abItupS. prop
erty plan up and was requested by
other two members of council, MI.
Jennings then being mayor. to take
the matter up with a gentleman in
Charlotte, n. c., friend Of his who
was familiar with the abutting prop
erty plan of street construction,
Charlotte about this time haVnS
built a great many miles OF street
on this plan. There was neVfc ol-
vision of opinion in. the council on
the matter of good streets, nor Woulc
there be any division now in mat
liter of hard surfaced roads If they
could be built at anything like fair
price. No one is in favor OF good
roads more than l am.
Mr.. Jennings states in his article
that 125 miles road was promised
Last Saturday l figured with Maj. Lee
the engineer employed by the hard
surfaced road commission and al
cost figured, mile of 16 foot road
can not be built at this time for less
than thirty-two to thirty-three thou
sand dollars. He promised 125 miles
of road when they advocated good
roads before the people; only asked
for bond issue of two and hall
million dollars to build this Us miles
OF road and further gave assurances
that The bonds would not bear a1:e'-
! est greater than 5 per cent or > 4
per cent. Now would it D.. keeping
faith with the people to attempt to
build roads at anything like this cost
when the aggregate would run 10
more than four million dollars when
you figure the cost of concrete bridges
! that would have 10 be built?
The city paid about s1.35 per yard
FOR their asphalt and brick streets;
the price now would be greater than
$500 per yard for country roads, as
the hau.age of this tonnage from de-
pot or railroad siding would have to
| be considered in the construction OF
country roads which would add mate
! tally to its cost. :
Some people remind me very much
O fa kid with 25c to spend who can
nd
| or toy store in order 10 get rid of
their wealth. The bare fact that the
Expenditure of this money having
been authorized with steps not haT-
/ ing been taken to spend it seems to
be nightmare ever before their
eyes.
| I feel 1 can say at least a major
ity Of the members on this hard sur
| faced road commission are ready to
act and viii 4act as soon as their
judgment would dictate or suggest
they can get a fair return for money
expended
This article, Mr.. Editor appears
to he very rambling and disconnect-
ed, but as indicated in the beginning
this question Of Mr.. Jennings critl-
cism of the handling OF Jail funds
grew out of my stand in the matter
! Of road bonds and building roads
at present cost.
Reverting back 10 this matter Of
the handling OF public funds ! have
had occasion recently TO look over
the books Of the city clerk and
treasurer and find since the first of
4, October 1920. just prior TO the fall
collection Of taxes, until May 1st,
1921, the combined deposits Of the
City National Bank, First National
Bank, Commercial Bank and Trust
Co, NATIONAL Bank Of South Caro-
lima, Sumter Trust Co, and National
Bank Of Sumter aggregate a grand
total of little over ninety-one thou
sand dollars. III the same period
the Peoples Bank of which Mr.. Jen-
nings is president, had deposits of
various kinds of some five hundred
forty-nine thousand dollars; Of this
amount approximately two hundred
forty thousand dollars of these de-