78 BULLETIN" 393^ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGEICULTUEE. 



Two scliools in Beat 1 were consolidated by reason of the better roads 

 and one school was discontinued, as the children are now able to 

 attend school in Meridian. These two changes have resulted in a 

 net saving to the county of $100 per month for teachers' salaries. 



VALUE OF THE ROADS TO THE COMMUNITY. 



In order to bring out an expression of opinion as to the value of 

 road improvement, an inquiry was addressed by a local paper to 

 prominent citizens living on the improved roads. From the replies 

 received, the following quotations are made: 



(1) It is impossible to enumerate the advantages of such a road as this; it is the 

 only time in my life that I have" ever realized any direct benefits from taxation, but 

 paying taxes for road improvement with me after seeing and realizing what it means 

 to the whole country is a pleasure; and I don't think you can bm'den a man with 

 taxation when he gets results like this from it. 



(2) I have heard compulsory education agitated, but if I was a member of the 

 legislature I would offer a resolution advocating compulsory road construction, for 

 a man that is'opposed to it is either ignorant of what it means to him or is a fool, and 

 I think the State ought to look after such people. I get pay over and over every 

 week of my life for what it costs me by watching the school cliildren pass my house 

 to and from school, perfectly comfortable regardless of weather conditions. I am 

 one of the trustees of our school and just a day or two ago I signed the school report, 

 showing a total enrollment of 130 and an average attendance dming the month of 

 December of 109. As you know, December was one of the worst months we ever 

 experienced in this county. 



(3) I have never made an investment for which I have gotten as much financial 

 retiuns and satisfaction as I have out of this road. The advancement in property 

 alone has been sufficient to foiu or five times pay the whole cost of construction, and 

 I don't think the county could make any investment that would bring in as much 

 returns as to build a network of them all over it. It is such a good thing that I want 

 every man in the county to have one just like it, and I am willing to pay my part 

 of the taxes to help Mm get it. 



(4) I live 4 miles from the city and 2 miles from the school. This has been the worst 

 winter that I have ever seen, but there hasn't been a single day that my cliildren 

 haven't walked to school and not a single day have they come home with wet feet; 

 and to think they walked down the middle of the road. Not one of them has been 

 sick with a cold even, while heretofore my doctor bills have been more than my 

 road tax. Talk to me about paying taxes to build roads! I am willing to pay taxes 

 on my pack of fox hounds, my bird dog, my chickens, my horses, and if necessaiy 

 my wife and children, if they will use it in extending roads like this all over the 

 county. I would rather have my house and 10 acres of land on this road like it is 

 now than have my whole farm on the old road like it was before improvement. 



(5) The good ro^ads have made it possible for me to live at my country home and 

 still attend to my business affairs in Meridian, just as easily as though I lived in town. 

 The benefit that strikes me as being most practical and far-reaching is the tremendous 

 increase in real-estate values of country property located on the good roads. I have 

 been especially interested in this feature and have found that in every instance into 

 which I have inquired farms located on the good road have been enhanced in value 

 from 50 per cent to 100 per cent as a result of the building of the good roads. I am 

 heartily in favor of good roads and firmly believe that everybody would be so if they 

 had the opportunity of using pne for a short time. 



