ECONOMIC SURVEYS OP COUNTY HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT. 77 

 EFFECT OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT ON TRAFFIC. 



There are five railroads in the county which converge at Meridian. 

 These have a total of about 92.5 miles of road and 23 raihoad stations. 

 At Meridian alone 60,000 cars of freight, including- 15,000 cars of 

 lumber, are handled annually. 



The traffic over some of the roads averages from 25 to 200 loaded 

 vehicles per day at certain seasons of the year, with some of the 

 wagons carrying from 2 to 3 tons. Practical examples of the small 

 tractive resistance on the improved roads were demonstrated by 

 drivers of freight wagons, who unhitched 2 or 3 yoke of oxen when 

 macadam roads were reached and proceeded the remainder of the 

 distance with a single yoke. 



The total production of corn, oats, peanuts, peas, potatoes, hay, 

 and forage in 1910 amounted to 17,212 tons, and of cotton and cotton 

 seed 14,442 tons. The production of cotton has been reduced mate- 

 rially since 1910 on account of the boll weevil, but the production of 

 general farm crops has increased probably in about the same propor- 

 tion. Of these products it is estimated that 20,627 tons were hauled 

 over the country roads to market or shipping point. There is prac- 

 tically no hay or forage hauled out of the county, but more hay is 

 being grown in the, county than ever before. In addition to this it is 

 estimated that 4,500 tons of fertilizer and 60,000 tons of lumber are 

 hauled over country roads, making a total of 85,127 tons. It is esti- 

 mated that about one-haK of this, or 42,563 tons, is hauled over the 

 improved roads an average distance of 6 miles, equivalent to 255,378 

 ton-miles. This tonnage has not materially increased since the 

 roads were improved. The traffic area for these roads embraces about 

 192,000 acres. The hauling over the improved roads, therefore, 

 amounts to about 0.22 ton per acre for the traffic area. 



The average load on the old roads for a two-horse team was 1,500 

 to 2,500 pounds, and on the new roads from 2,500 to 3,500 pounds. 

 On the basis of an 8-mile haul as a day's work, with an average load 

 of 1 ton and an average wage of $3 per day for man and team, the 

 average cost per ton-mile over the old roads was $0.37. Based on a 

 ten-mile haul, an average load of 1^ tons and an average wage of $3 

 for man and team, the hauling costs on the new roads average about 

 20 cents per ton-mile, a saving of 17 cents, or a total annual saving of 

 about $43,400. If this saving could be applied to the payment of 

 interest and principal, it would be sufficient to retire the $450,000 

 bond issue in about 17 years. 



EFFECT OF ROAD IMPROVEMENT ON SCHOOLS. 



Outside of Meridian there are 78 white and 53 colored schools. In 

 Beat 1, where most of the road improvement has taken place, the 

 average attendance in 1912 was 72 per cent, and in 1913, 81 per cent. 



