The Little River news., 1923-05-02
ADVANTAGES OF GOOD ROADS
By Margaret Leslie.

In all our present day clVlllZatlOn there is nothing that has had greater share in bringing the people and the products of the world together than the highway. Commerce is developed, travel promoted and remote races made kin by that ribbon of dust-the broad highway.
 Before highways were constructed, if traveller wished to journey off the beaten track, he must ride across coun- try taking as landmarks streams, mountains or other things whose loca- tions he knew. Highway robbery be- came common incident. Travelling was slow and difficult work Civilized life is not possible without means ot travel and transportation Modern na- tions have learned the lesson too, and a network of roads and railroads is one of our chief defenses.
 Roads have developed with com merce and travel, and particularly with war, conquest and military contro! of distant countries. Troops can be transported much more quickly than when the roads were poor. Good roads are a matter of interest to all The City man needs good roads for pleas ure and for business. Probably noth- i ing has contributed more to the urgent demand for good roads than the agita- tion by automobile owners. These men have been active in making addresses and distributing literature throughout the country. They have attended pub I lie gatherings and have perfected or ganizations for calling people together and securing the attendance of good speakers on road subjetcs. There are over ten million Automobiles in the United States, besides an increasingly large number of trucks The very ex- istence of these modern conveyances depend upon good roads.
 Railroads are much interested in this subject. If the wagon roads leading to their depots are good, it helps their business. But above all the business of farming is dependent upon the con- dition of country roads; for whatever hauled to the farm, and many crops of the farm must be hauled away to the railroad. Farmers sooner or later come to realize the desirability of di- versified farming. Perhaps no cause limits farming of this description as effectively as bad roads. The market may be either nearby town or a city, or distant market which requires railroad transportation. In any case the speed of transportation from farm to the unloading point is essential. A truck farmer ten miles from a market is at a great disadvantage if his market road is unimproved, and he may be totally unable to compete with the farmer the same distance from market in another direction on a good road. The time required to make a given trip is much increased if the roads are bad. On any ordinary road horse can pull only eight hundred pounds, while on an improved road they can pull from five to eight thous. and pounds. Again the wear and tea1 on teams, vehicles and persons are more than doubled by the ordinary country roads. The load that can be carried is determined by the worst place in the road. This generally means comparatively small load Therefore with good roads we coult save about two thirds of the trips ir marketing our crops and hauling oul supplies. Two mules, if the roads arc
 bad, take two bales of cotton to mar, ket; on good road they can carry
 from six to eight bales.
 Farmers can keep in touch with the
 world and in sympathy with the az,
 in which they live with good roads
 The farm carrying could be done wher
 the weather was not suited for farm
 work. With the ordinary dirt roat
 this is the time when it is in the poor est condition for use
 Good roads result in cheaper trans portation to markets and conseqn ent ly lower costs to the consumer, in
 crease the value of farm products an, make the land more valuable. The.