North Carolina Newspapers

GflOWtNQ-SEWTIWENTvlN FAVOR OF ' BETTER COUNTRY ROADS. . jjejatioi erf Good Roads to Pablio gchoo'ls Accessibility ,a. Factor In Eldncation A 8te Ib 'Meannred by Ha Roads. ...T '-?-- ":'--:?ii;':-:- ' The counties of southern 'Alabama tnet in. convention at Mobile recently aIM' organized- a good" roads associa tion, elects officers and adopted 'a series of resolutions demanding suck legislation- as will place the state in ;l petition -to piau and construct public roods ia a inore. scientific, manner than at present obtains. 1 " I f " -. The Hon. J.":W..Abercrombie,' super intendent of publiinstruction for the stale' of Alabama, discussed the sub ject of "Good Roads and ' Their Rela tion to Country Schools; He spoke in part as follows ''. ""' ' , r ' , The enrollment in the white schools 0J Alabama is only G4 per cent of the - i -:v.iool population. Ill the colored ! . ivciioolri it is duly 4S per;: cent. "Deduct-! ins 27 per cent .for-:Ait'bdiawaIs axfd irregularity in 1 attendance; ,: which is a j very low estimate wo' have a daily, at-i ti'iuljuieo' in the white school of. 48 per; font, of school popukirio?!. and i'u the i colored schools "a." dally1 attendance of i 30 i.er CciiL , I-a tho'ates where the ; roads are good, the ayerire daily at-1 tendan is frpt ; 23 per -cvP-fc H v60 per i cent greater. - Ut 'is-rVjyGnablMto eoh'-j elude then that something besides 'gen--j . a al interest isi nesisa ry, .... .." '' . ,; "Though the' iiite.re!Sbe fwidespreed and intense, theenmilmeiit. 'and attend j ance will be reViated. greatly; by the I cost of goia,;. FoK.se-ye r'AV ywfr s- our; -common schools:; tf&vi berf 'psacticallyj free. Now they are entirely '"free for at; least four months ia the", year. Yet '5 the attend:iMvj Jt Tjsvt 4pfdatfiot asi regular as it should be not as large-or J 'as regular a it uumy oti-er states. : Ilence-'we conclude Jhji !ciii'tji"!ug he-; sides general . intiirest 'a"ud- fvye tuition : U needed. ' . "Souk -body , -may- angf.st . that- the great necessity-, is' .';.b-pe:-nt teach ing force. It, w.iciv d, I believe, I '.by tliose-who are -experivueed ia . such mattt-rs that no school ciUi.ite a sk-: (.ess, in the fullest sense of 'the. term.; M-itliout ft thoroughly EaiiiJeii c'aehor," one ia whom the ptKjpie ha ve .faith-. 1 1 was for that reason that the.'lawjnak-' ing J'vwer established, recently a nevi' "tie state. system for the examination and eeitlfi-; There can be no doubt that this ar . cation. of teachers,, by Which the quali- raiigement would secure very much fieations of the teacheis in the public ' better return for the money of the va . schools have been Inereaiw'd saore tlum'r.rlous towns 'than is got at present No 100 per oent. The -board' created . for one need be a great traveler In the .In that purpose has la'cbrixl faithfully r -and impartially and fecjrfcssiy to i-JImi- i nate from the ranks of t'ne educators and that the badness is tremendously those who are not .-fctiaiified. f.'r Th? costly. It is quite common to'. -see a service. Great things Lave bn a; ; fairly good road passing from the area -complished In that dkvetion. kir of one town become a wretched -road teachers are better fitted for efficient; in the next, and the proportion of the service than ever-bef-or-a. Ytt h-i nt-' latter Is many times greater than that tendance upon the schools., the country of the former. schools especially, fe jioo frequently i As' a role' Q actual cos -of the de . email and hTogular. Something is nee- i eent roads Is not appreciably "larger essary other .than general inteiH-t or! than that of the bad cues. The mon vfree tuition or qualified teachf-i-s. v ey4s used in one ca-o and wasted in "A school may have till these things, the other. The plan suggested would may, be perfectly equipped as to build- not Increase, as we -understand it, the ing, furnishings and trahiect teacher, j amount collected for roads. It would and at the -a nie time prove to bo a fail-: simply secure an immensely better re ure onl account of. lack of accessiljility.- turn for it. And this return would be Accessibility depends upon the quality ; in-the definite shape of economy and of the public roads. Our 'god public I profit: for the residents of the towns roads are on a par with our good! as-well -as for the community genera i sehoolhousos. The' one would be about; ly. jus difficult to find as the other. What I is the encouragement to erect good buildings along impassable highways? I We do not build good residences even ih such places. V Business establish-j meats and industrial enterprises do not civilization seldom accompany each other. Senator John TV Morgan spoke truly when, in. a recent 4etttn- to Mr. 1. L. Gillert, secretary of the Montgom- C-Gminercial and Industrial associa tion, he said; Not only are good roads 'Pleasant and ornamental fearaios of a country, but they -are the wisest ' and most economical bestowal of money and labor. Every civilized country is ' measured by its roads as much as it is by its industries in the estimate that laen' place upon Its value.' It is po-?-sihle to have good roads without good schools,, but it is absolutely Impossible to have tno-best-of schools Without &ood roads. As a rule, the eliiciency ef a country's- jminpn ech-c' may be. measured by the- condition of its pub , he roads." .. .. ' : . . President D. P. Beir ot Use boaii cf trustees of the Medical College of Alabama discussed good roads in their relation to the medical profession and the patient. ETe said the good roads movement had been : making splendid progress. It must " ba ; remembered that it took nearly 100 years to get the central government interested in the question of rivers and harbors. Even Calhoun and' King; who- was an Ala bamian, had been opposed to making these appropriations, and, other great statesmen had been slow about taking up the question of internal Improve ments. But the good roads movement had met with a pnraipt "public v re sponse, and there was much, to' be thankful for." '. - - . ; Coming dovfa to the ijuestioa .of,; the Physician's Interest in' good roads, ha said during a recent visit to another state be was . impressed by the. f act that many of the physicians used bir cycles. They could not do tt In Ala bama. In tho state to which he'vre- f erred the physicians . only charge . ?1 for a visit. An Alabama " they eharge$3. They had to do It, and' the bad condition of the public roads -V?ras responsfb fox ft Better roads would aean that the physician,1: whose to 13 ahard oryg at best, would endure fewer - hardships and he would ; be -, able to . reach the patient more . quickly and . ould be able to do a better part by - "epatterf. y ; . : - - ., . - ' RO Ab M 61 fe Y "WASTE D; Working Out Highway Taxes I'0 V duoes No Lasting Results. ' Commenting on the highway law' of the Empire State, the New. York Times In a recent issue said: ' The legislation heretofore enacted for the .improvement of the, roads of the statrt'ls good -as far as if goes, but : it is not likely to go very far In the lifetime of the youngest of -our readers: It pro vides for state aid to towns that are willing to contribute their part to pet t-er roads built under; the -direction of the state. Up to .the present time .we believe that only 300 miles of the 5,000 in the- state are benefited by this law. The highway alliance, whose purpose is to "increase the usefulness of high ways," proposes that the plan now in, operation in towns generally shall be " - - : - HAKD BOAD "TO TCA-N-EIj, , . ; -so 'changc-d," tliat the resources avail able, which are very considerable shall he applied under state direction. - - At present each property owner is re quired to pay his share of the amount voted .for ''roads., but is at llbeiHy fa work out? the,-tax at the rate, of- one day's labor fot each dollar due bv him. The work, whether voluntary or aired, is done when and where the path mas ter and the highway commissioner may direct. The change urged, is that ail payment of road taxes in. labor shall be done away with, that all taxes shall be paid 'in money and that the money shall be expended under the direction ! of the skilled and trained officials of terior of our state to know that the general condition of the roads Is bad It has been estimated that improve- meat in roads steadily used,, w ,v,h should save only 10 per cent of the wear and tear of horses and w.agons and of the time of men .employed, would save to the average farmer from $T0 to $100 a year.' It is not at all un reasonable to infer tlmt the plan pro posed would effect such an improve ment. As it would not cost the coun try 'residents, a cent more in expend i turo, . it ought to be poptikir if it is ones understood.. . NEED OF GOOD ROADS. Thvy Oot ISToroey, but In tli FJiid Are -J!5rT Tlirrn Poor Ones. ' The greatest need cf the country Is good roada. - To have good roaxls we must have a good road law, says Tex as Farm and Ranch. To have a good road law the 'people who uee roads must be made to comprehend their val ue. Then they will demand of. state and county legislators to proceed to solve the problem. 'Good roads cost money, and myopic taxpayers have objected to any prac tical system on .that? account, whereas bad roads cost a great deal more than telford or macadam. ; There is no lack of facta and figures to prove this state ment true. Railroads, telegraphs and telephones : are great modern agencies of civilization, and If theje ls an ex ception to the rule that civilization follows these institutions we., have fail ed to find it or hear of It. , But bad' country roads greatly retard the civ ilizing process, besides levying the heaviest tax known to civilization, Rural mall delivery is - largely de pendect upon tie character of pur roads, and would be well-nigh lmprac tlcae ttte muddy lanes of the Texas 'black waxy section, hi wet weather. Therefore, to enjoy the bene- fits of a daily malL our people must go to work systematically to mako better roads. What matters it If a road costs 3,000,' $i000 or everv $ia0X per mil Jf, after It ls made, every person who traes tt will feel glad hat the spiidl: tuze was made? '.. ;v V" '.-'- Fteavt Troe Iry the RomiBiaet ' 1 How much and at tyhat Uttie : cost jcould the roadways of the country lead ing to the large cities be beautified if each farmer should give a little time to the planting of trees and shrubbery along the way! ' ; :'" ' ' " ' ' '' ' hir'-im ii- n i i--T r'Vf"' I ... i - , , ,. i ... .... : l i . . WHEEL &NB ITS WAY O&STACLES OF MAnY IINDS WHICH ' IMPEDE IT8 PROGRESS. Good Soada a Mighty- Force aa a CivlXiiins ifeentCost of. Transpor-J tatfon Reduces Profits of Prodacer. - Work; For the Eoadmaker. ' 1 '. .- v -;-.,..:v-, ,,'. One of tho most instructive papers of the good; roads convention in Buffalo in September was by Lewis M. Haupt, Philadelphia,- member of the isthmian canal commission., . ' "Every forward turn of a wheel," he said, "is a revolution and typifies prog ress. It is immaterial whether it be a wagon wheel or a car wheet, a fij' wheel or a water wheel, a turbine or a propeller, a pinion or a pulley, a bicycle or a mobile. It Is always fascinating to see the wheels go round. . "But behind the wheel to make it re volve there may be a crank; behind the crank there must be a motor; behind the motor an artisan; behind the arti san a capitalist; behind the capitalist, an inventor; behind the inventor there Is the great Creator of mind and mat ter, the incomprehensible God,- the mainspring of all activities and possi bilities. ' : : "Intuitively the mind is carried back in the spirit of the days of old,, when the prophet Ezekiel stood on the banks of .the, river Chebar, In the land of the Chaldeans, and, lobkfng Into the opened heavens, beheld the four living crea tures which had the likeness. of a man going upon wheel - , M ' " 'The appearance of the wheels, and their work was like -untb the color of beryl, and" they, foir .hadoiie. likeness, and their appearance", aadf-.tlieir work was, as it were; a wheel, tn the middle of a wheei. ;! - The spirjt of tha liv ing croatttro was ;4n the. "Wheels. And whithersoever; the. spirit Vjrffc to- go they went, thither was their spirit Jo go.! - I "From tliat (lay to ihls the earth has trundled around her conrse hi -yearly j laps, bearing to the childreri of the! present century the ..fruition of this prophecy of the spirit and the wheels. "Weil tnay it be said today that every thing goes upon wheels, but there aiv j wheels and wheels. Some turn m'.re j easily than others and do more work at less cost, and thus wo are brought j directly into contact with the surface or roadway which the wheel harnesses i as a practical question in economics, mechanics and physics. 'In ''addition to the wheel and its way there are obstacles Of various i kinds which impede its progress. EJPA.SSABLH FOB WHEELS. There may be a m6untain in the path or cataract fa the stream, a chasm in the pJain, or it may be that rain has converted nn earthen road into a slough, that a cyclone has drifted sand .across a railway or a blizzard has fill ed a cut with snow. "Such are a few of the contingencies which obstruct the highways of corn- i merce and which it is the work of the engineer ai?d roaumakcr to remove where practicable. "What better and more condensed instructions can be found for this than those which came from the prophet Isaiah as the voice of him that crleth from the wilderness of Asia, 'Prepare ye the way; make straight in the des ert a highway for our God.' "Today Russia Is literally carrying L out these specifications in extending her area of steel from the Baltic to the Japan, sea that civilization may ad vance by the peaceful revolutions of the wheel and not by the arbitrament of the sword. Roman roads sub jugated and controlled tho empire. Truly the wheel is mightier than the sword :ib a civilizing agent." Following this preamble Mr. Haupt siiowed the relation of the rate of transportation to the profit to the pro ducer and the influence severally of the highway, the railway and the ar tificial and national waterways in lim iting cr extending the market range. In conclusion he said: "Very Ktfte of the SOOrOOO.OdO of tons of freight carried annually on the rail roads cf the United States .has its origin on";th0 -line 4f the. roadi but ifmst first be moved from farm, mine or. forest oyer earth rood3 at an average cost of 25 cents-per- ton tnile. If the average distance be "but four miles the expense of transportation before delivery to the railroad 'would be: $800, 000,000, while the .charge for. distri bution may swell this to over $1,000, 000,000 annually, meet of which goes to cover wear and tear. The cost of transportation on ous - common roads may be greatly dimin ished; by reducing the . resistances and impToVing the grades, alignment, sur face and drainage. If reduced to even pne-fcaif the effect would be to double the area of the territory tributary to the railroads and so increase their toi nage as well , as the margin available for transportation. "As It costs much less to Improve roads than to . open - branch railroads as feeders, tt would be good 'policy on the part? of railroads to, unite - with counties, towpshtps ' aitd Yboroughs in deloprng systems of tm'proved trunk roads with laterals as feeders to their own systems: ( Numerous precedents for soch a policy, exist to foreign coun tries. ; whese the results - have proved Its wisdom and economy" v j ei cv isa eso Bi, crv ev ft . tl v. (L.- & .4? if -i 11. i IZT "$S2 'f y m 53 -7 f t -3". "W ' -," - S v".V & EVE ' H! if I';-; A BETH i p. i ij ZL$Z K L s) 3-s ? i M 3 1 1, L. U ! to have you look The Singer Sewing Mi 4 1!: I I X ( ? 4 s We call special attention to our line of MERCERIZED G-iNGHAMS just as handsome as Bilk and far more durable and wejdon't i kink that you can bay these goods at Mick low prices elsewhere. - j , And you might take a look at that -o!N P0PLS3 IN GRAY, NAVY jRND BLACK very much under regular price. Command see what whave anyway. D-". ' I' .II Just received' a largs NQ. 2 PIT8HEB PUMPS. Prices as low or lower than the lowest. 5 We' have, the best Force Pump on the Xf market. . Call and ex amine them, no trouble to show goods. m V of ' Water McGregor: - 1 v - Say --Mike,',; what's,, ik. i : vKbton yerJife...-'Say grub is so high and hard to git, an I gest Jiad all . I cord eat, an ise gest tryinjto kape it don long as possible. Yer 1 - .' " cGregor. Oh! bad vou gest store ot Love, DVang & Go., you'd have no need standing on ' your head to hold grub down. They bold the PRICE down,' thought . ebery-body knows dats. - - ,T Wei deh, dat be rigxit up ana oe inecid grub agin, S 3 a i yarywhere easy terms. si 9 . 4 Liberal discount for-cash. . Old ma .chiries'' taken ; in fiasmes and parts always- dn frand; Wrlt us. if you are m .need of a. ma in ail 2 U O i our Sddress CITY, C. "Voivt-a.il lcKk ov?r a shirt laundered, by ris and it has Veen farefally handled. The .bos-.nn if oaiy oire ot -b. features. The tfiirt vrs vvTt-jht-u '!(-HTi. -the dirt -was taken out 'wich.mtila'inif it tn the threads, the bands -ur-U-Viy ir !w:, uid buttonholes left intact. ( v-v y-'.h pare water and good l-.l rx.er. '-r ia!-. We trees you m a a v.-ifi iaahe you a regular custo- vr wrijjon will call for your ssts -to v I r i'?s u L-i 1 1 . M through our line ?J iS iSt if) 5 J m 4 S ff a sft , of l j Dimities ' Madras, Ginghams, "Lawns, Percales, Swisses, Organdies, Nainsooks, Etc. a V c the matter, goin crazy ain't nothing to disturb menow,- seede pint? ' ' - - . - : 4f & done your trading aW dat big true,'' dats subficient. I'll r';te about my busness and when I'll go dtir3 startine. - ' . 9 St mm: &2 iff "A Is made from the best wheat ground in the Blue Grass state and ever pound is mixed with brains, skill, energ and ex perience, ' and satisfaction is guaranteed.' In wood or sacks. ye have everthin g in the" grocery line Give us a triai order over the phone we will . please you. That's our busi ness. ' ."''- W. C. Harrison n. "' Corner Main and water Streets Phom Which is ll 3 Hold on it makes no dif ference, we have got plenty 'of "it" or "them." We make 'em- rieht. We have some left. Quality on top. Price on, bottom. ELIZABETH CITY GOMPA C. J. 1 ariager. 57 years '. on - market. v This is the only one pi ano that compares with the "sriEFF" and 0 .-.that IS Q & O o o & & 'isi'JnsLii' SOLD ON VERY EASY TEFJMS. Branch - Warerooms, 66 Granby St. Norfolk', - . Virginia, Paatory Representative THOS. H. CLARK, ' . Care of TA3 HzEti office;- O m as 9 For Rent! 1 , , ; Store and wharf property for merly occupied by Dudley & .Co., foot of Main street. V , Apr. 28. " " I.SELIG. f 1- .