The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, August 19, 1919, Page SIX, Image 6
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NATION WILL SPEND
BILLIONS ON ROADS|
Washington, D. C.?One of the|
most colossal road building programsever
undertaken in any country is to)
be carried out in the United States j
(luring the next three years. It is es-j
timated that by 1921 close to a bil-j
lion dollars will have been spent for;
good roads in this country. Of this1
huge sum, $275,000,000 has &een
appropriated by congress as federal
aid in road construction.
> In addition to giving direct financial
assistance, the federal government
is also encouraging the im-,
provement of highways by distribut-J
ing to the various States some of the1
20,000 motor trucks used by the
army during the war. These trucks
are to be turned over to the highway;
commissioners of the States, and
are to be used only for road building
purposes. |
For more than a century that is up'
A ~ 4-U^ -CnA l n-Axrorn monf
to tUC ICUClOl
practically nothing to aid or abet in
developing improved highways. In
1916 congress voted $75,000,000 for
federal highway aid on the 50-50 basis
with the States, but on account
of the war much of the road work
contemplated at that time was held(
in abeyance. Now, there is a revival
of interest on the part of the nation-'
al government in better roads, which'
finds expression through the medium
of the bureau of public roads.
The first and only national highway
constructed by the government
was the old historic Cumberland
Road. The work on that turnpike
was begun under President Jefferson
ana continued under Monroe. Beginning
at Cumberland, Md., the road
ran through Maryland, Pennsylvania,
1
t what is now West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois. St. Louis was the
objective point, but railroads came
into use before the completion of
the project and the road stopped
short somewhere in Illinois. The old
f?nmh<?rlnnH Road was to have been
used to open traffic between the east
and west, and it was planned in such
a way as to have direct communication
with with the Atlantic ocean.
The scheme was to use the stage
coach for transportation from Western
points to Cumberland, then the
Chesapeake and Ohio canal, which is
operation, from Cumberland to
Washington, connecting with the Po.
tomac River to the ocean. So does it
appear that the unfolding of time
quite upset this elaborate worked out
government project.
i Although the Cumberland trail fell
ihto disuse for a time after railroads
began to link up the east and the
west, the greater portion of it has
been improved within recent ye^raj
by the various States through which'
it runs. Many of the old pioneers
who went west in the early part of
the 19th century traveled by stage
coach over this early ribbon of good
roads.
The need of good roads is becoming
more and more obvious with the
increase in the use of motor vehicles.
Ten years ago the highways of this
country were subjected to traffic
scarcely different from that which
they had borne in Revolutionary
days.' The past decade has witnessed
a tremendous change in highway
transportation. The motor vehicle is
responsible for this revolution in con
THE I
i
Mr. FRANK A. STOLLE (j
AS
veyance, and to it is due a new'
stress upon the 200,000 or more!
miles of road in the United States, j
Today there are said to be about j
5,500,000 motor vehicles in use in;
this country. Of this number it is es-'
timated that 500,000 are commercial
cars, ranging from light delivery wa-,
gons to heavy trucks.
? ? -r c nnn
Allowing an average ui u,vw^
miles a year for each of the 5,000,- j
000 remaining passenger cars and
assuming an average of three passen-j
gers to a car, the result will show a
total of 45,000,000,000 passenge^
milesj traveled during the year. This
figure exceeds that for the railways
of the United States for the year
1916, which was 34,000,000,000 passenger
miles. So are automobiles and J
roads shown to carry more people'
more miles than railroads.
Good roads have a direct effect^n
the cost of living. Motor trucks and
good roads enable the farmer to!
transport his products to market at a:
price less thaii of hauling it in wa-|
gons and shipping it by rail. Often
foodstuffs perish on the farm because)
of the lack of proper transportation
facilities. They often deteriorate in'
transit because of the slowness of.
their journey.
Coot roa.ds sneod them up.
The bureau of public roads gives i
the cash expenditure on highways for
the year of 1915 as $267,000,000.
During the war, most of the big roadi
building projects were temporarily j
suspended and the result is thati
most of the highways throughout the j
country are in run down condition.
The work of improving the highways
already in existence and start-j
ing new projects will be limited on-j
ly to the supply of labor and material
according to T. H. MacDonald, chief
of the public roads bureau. "Road
construction work which is progressing
in all parts of the country," he
said, "is rapidly absorbing all the excess
labor there is in the land, andj
i. 4-Kof Kafnro vorv ]nn<y'
lb is my upiiuuu uiau uvivtv fv.j 0
there will be a shortage of workmen
for road work. During the next three
years we look to see the biggest road
construction program carried out
that has ever been undertaken in
any part of the world."
All over the country bond issues
for the construction of roads are being
announced. States are taking advantage
of the opportunity to receive
financial help from the government
under the terms of the federal aid
act, which provides that where a
State spends one dollar for road
work it is entitled to a similar amount
from the government. Most of
the States are getting federal aid on
a 60-40 basis. The only limitations
prescribed by the federal aid act are
that the roads shall be "rural post
roads." When a road has met this
condition ,it is the duty of the secretary
of agriculture to give his approval
to its construction and federal
aid is extended.
The federal highway council, whieh
has headquarters in Washington, is
i AAA<
cooperating witn some ?tuuu vuuci
organizations throughout the country
interested in good roads for a connected
system of national highways j
to be constructed and maintained;
with the support of the federal gov-!
ernment.
As the result of the efforts of this;
organization, a bill has been intro(ADEI.I,
1
i uir.u a ASS
I" ROYALTY
PLAYS
t
WITH FEATURE
VAUDEVILLE
BETWEEN THE ACTS
SPECIAL MUSIC
By Our
SPLENDID ORCHESTRj
rOMR EARLY
CaVI9 J | ^ J A T A r _
5BEVILLE ONE
duced in congress for a national ays
tem of highways. Its object is t
build in each State trunk line high
ways to the extent of not less thai
two per cent, nor more than five pe
cent of the total mileage of th
State, and to join them up with th
main trunk lines of other States s
as to make a complete national sys
tem connecting the entire countrj
The advocates of this measure clair
that if such a plan is adopted b;
congress it will create a system o
national highways, independent o
the States?highways that will carr
interstate traffic. Such a system o
national road s,proponents of th
measure say, is necessary for th
welfare of the country as a whole.
It is the contention of the nationa
highway council that the personne
of the State highway departments i
--nstantly changing, and to a greate
or less degrees the State highway pc
licies are changed with each succeed
ing administration. It is therefor
jut of the question to expect an
connected system of roads betwee:
the forty-eight States, over whic'
there is no supervisory power, an
between which there is little coordi
? n-.'Wr f Vi q nafinnnl trnvprn
ict11U11 vy in j wiiv o ~ ?
ont can lay down and execute th
ationwide development of the roads
It looks as though the federal gov
ernment might get into this game oi
a stupendous scale in another de
cade.
OLDEST CIVILIZATION
CLAIMED BY VIRGINU
Richmond, Va., Aug.v 15.?Claim
of Plymouth Rock that she represent
the oldest Anglo-Saxon civilizatioi
in America were emphatically de
nied this afternoon when the genera
assembly celebrated the 300th anni
versary of continuous existence as i
law making body.
Speakers charged that the mei
who landed at Plymouth Rock wer
foreigners by fully one year afte
the burgesses of 11 Virginia planta
tions had assembled at Jamestowi
and passed the laws designed to gov
ern the colonies.
Dr. Thomas Nelson Page, forme
ambassador to Italy, was the princi
pal speaker. He said that the worL
should be made acquainted with th
real facts concerning the part Vii
ginia has played fn bringing abou
representative government. ''Thi
general assembly should compel th
teachng in the schools of_ the Stat
he facts relative to Virginia's posi
tion in this matter," said Dr. Page.
The former ambassador paid
rl owing tribute to President Wilso
and haled him as the greatest ma
who represented the allied powers s
the peace conference.
"Unless the peace treaty is rat
tied," said Dr. Page, "you member
of the assembly may be called bac
to Richmond again within a shoi
time to face a crisis in tbe State an
nation the seriousness of which fei
people seeqp to realize." Europe, h
said, would be thrown in a state o
chaos and Germany would disavo1
the terms of the peace laid down fo
her, and inaugurate forthwith a canc
paign of frightfulness.
i
Open Season For Doves Changed.
The open season for huntin
mourning doves in South Carolin
LRITCHFIf
PRI
PRICES
War T
SHOW GROUNDS CORN
: WEEK, COIV
i- has been changed by an amendment
o to the Migratory Bird Treaty Atit
i- regulations, announces the United
n States Department of Agriculture,
r- The amendment fixes the period durejing
which mourning doves may bej
e killed in South Carolina from Octo-j
o^ber 16 to January 31, both days in-^
i-1 elusive, whereas the Federal* openj
r.! season last year was from September]
Qi 16 to December 31, inclusive. The,
Y\ new season beginning October 16!
x!was not adopted in time to have tnej
* I correct dates noted on the ,State
yj hunting licenses, which incorrectly;
*j show the season to begin one month!
e: earlier. The Federal law and regu-:
e ' .tions supercede all State laws in-;
| consistent therewith, and the State,
^ hunting licenses do not authorize
1 '
11 j persons to hunt mourning doves or(
S: other migratory birds in violation of
r; the Federal law.
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LD DRAW
SENTING
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25 & 35c
ax Included
ER CHURCH & PINCKNEY ST
IMENCING, MC
tr.i mwirti???
Pure Ice <
Manufactured Under Sc
SOFT DRINKS Soft
nr ADCTTCQ
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tobaccos f\vnf
CANDIES v^onr
FRUITS We are
; CIGARS the most c
licit your p
Abbeville Can
>
1 You Can Se<
Style and
(Goodnes
as plain as the
You don't hav<
pert to select a g(
they're all good,
are here; it's ea
things.
If you are har(
you how well we
Come in for a
FALL SUITS.
f: :
1
ICER & Rl
I
(ATIC COI
MONDAY NIGHT /
The Company Will Present
m?:? r I
mariaii nicy n
A Semi Rural Comedy
Drama in Four Acta. ^ <7:
VAUDEVILLE Bj
Specialties Between Act* Bar
A CLEAN AND MORAL El
ENTERTAINMENT INj
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Ladies, Gentlemen and Children, jgjgj
DON'T MISS THIS Mi"1
>NDAY, AUG. 2
x r \
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L^ream?
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mA
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prepared to aerre you in
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tatronage.
dy Kitchen
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e The Quality ^
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And the new styles jfl
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aPAWY 1
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CLARA HAMBLETON (Lead.) W
:5th I