Farmers View of Roads.

                                       To the Editors of the The Times-Dispatch:

Sir.- As we see it who travel over dirt roads almost abandoned by the road-working force, it would be far more advantageous to country people to distribute the road money and repair the broken down bridges and worn out roads even in places, than can concentrate the whole amount on a few miles of road for a certain class to travel. I will take for example the half mile of road between the Chickahominy River and Providence Forge. The bridge over the Chickahominy, at this place, is the first crossing from its mouth, possibly a distance of twenty or thirty miles. Consequently all travel by vehicle from the eastern and central part of Charles City county in going to the railroad station, post-office and express office have to cross on this bridge, necessarily making the traffic very heavy. Mails for several post-offices in Charles City County are taken across here dally, and one would imagine that such an important bridge and road would have a little attention, but on the contrary the bridge is in a deplorable condition. The abutment on the north side has been born away for months making it necessary to plunge down, I cannot say into the road, but ravine as the road is mostly in the river. Over a year, ago I called the attention of the supervisor to the fact that the teamsters were driving into the river at this place to water their team, of course with every trip taking the road out to the river. Just the felling of one small tree across the ford would have put a stop to this lawless procedure, but nothing was done. I spoke to others who I thought might have some influence, and while they express, a proper amount of regret at the deplorable condition of the road and bridge that ended it. When we reach Providence Forge we get a glimpse of the so-called highway, all fixed up smoothed down with signboards at every turn, and the autos of tourists, joy riders and city folks gliding along without a jolt, en route from city to city. Now this may be very satisfying and gratifying to some but as we see it, it is very unjust. The farmers pay a very high tax and every year the tax moves up higher and higher, and why should they have to plunge off old dilapidate bridges and drag through miles of mud when others travel in such comfort?                   I. E. J. 

Providence Forge, Dec. 26, 1922

-Richmond Times-Dispatch, 30 December 1922