The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-11-26
Good Roads and Highway Trans.
port.
(By Garland Johnson, Bridgeport


w. Va.)
This morning the clank of chains
and tramp of horses hoofS called
me to the window where the road
scraper was smoothing the highway
before the house. This afternoon a
sudden rainstorm undid the work,
leaving struggling motor cars plow-
ing axle deep in clayey West Vir-
ginia mud.
Last March the upkeep of the
dirt roads in the county cost $22,-
900, besides which the muddy roads
caused expensive damages and de-
lays. This is the mud tax which
everyone must pay directly or indl-
rectly. Permanent highways will
mean higher taxes, but they will
be more than repaid by increased
real-estate values and lowered
! transportation costs.
The invention Of the railroad,
during the early development Of
this country, made it possible for
the nation to spread over vast ter
ritories in a few decades. A his
torian tells US that twelve thousand
wagons passed between Pittsburgh,
| Philadelphia, and Baltimore in
1917. This would make a weeks
traffic over the Pennsylvania Rail-
road now. The railroad situation
is a vital problem today, for when
transportation breaks down, civil
ization cannot stand.
The country's needs have out
grown the railroads, and the mo-
tor truck on permanent highways
seems to be the solution for our
transportation problem.
The agricultural population of a
country is the foundation Of its
prosperity. The influx Of population
to our cities is the most character
istic movement of today, and is
largely caused by the isolation of
farm life. Good roads and the
family car give the farmers family
social advantages, and make pos
sible a consolidated school and
central church for the farm dis
trict.
The problem of the high cost of
living" is largely distribution
problem. Transportation takes toll
from every consumer. With hard
surface roads a team or truck can
pull ten times as great load as on
muddy roads, and the farmer can
move his crops in accordance with
the market rather than the condi-
ton of the roads, thus reducing
storage costs and discouraging
speculation.
Good roads lower living costs by
keeping the producer on the farm
and widening the area Of produc-
tive cultivation.
Since the beginning of the World
War vacation travel has been di-
verted to tours in our own country,
resulting in a quickening of interest
| in road Improvement. With the
increase in automobiles and extern
sion of national highways tourist
travel has increased rapidly, ex-
! DpIUlIlS ulOllSS az lOIiie IdluS1
than abroad, and promoting nat
ional unir.- and Intelligent patriot
ism.
Ever since the Romans linked
! their empire together with roads
that endure to the present day,
military leaders have recognized
the Importance Of good roads. Mo-
tor busses on the splendid high
ways of France brought up the
reserves in time to save the allies
at Verdun. When the railroads
| of our country were burdened with
wartime traffic, and embargoes
were placed on non-essentials, the
motor truck was extensively used
to relieve the freight congestion.
Money invested in good roads pays
as high dividends in peace as in
war Truly, this is a form Of pre-
paredness which all can indorse!