The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-11-29
GOOD HIGHWAYS.
How TO Obtain Turnplkes and
Add TO Values.
A PratictIcal Suggestion to the
Able County Commission
ers from One Who
Knows.

The following relative TO turnpikss is
from a gentleman who knows exactly
what he Is talking about. II deals with an
i'm ,,ortant question in a sensible and
practical way, and 1t II worthy of more
than papsing notioe by the county com
mlssiOners;
II the commissioners court of Travis
county should take the initiative in the
matter Of building turnpike roads, it Will
be the first enter prise Of the sort in Texas.
The desire for better roads as also
the desire for permanently improved
roads II universal Something in the
neighbDrhood OF 100000 has been eX-
pended in roads aud bridges By the county
within the last five years. Much of this
has been expended for bridges, much for
right OF way and several thousand dollars
for teams and toO.s for the work. There
has been a public demand for all this ex-
penditure, yet in the very nature of things
under the most honest and careful man
agement much of this money has been
wasted, and in future under any sort of
management much has to be wasted.
Eacn member OF the court may read care
fully everything sug ested through the
public prints, and listen patiently to
every private suggestion, yet prac-
tically be none the wiser. He will
know how much money can be
spared for the purpose, but exactly how
to apply it 10 the difficult problem.
Such thing as q road tax is a new
thing In Texas. While there was such a
tar here in 1871 and 1872 under republi-
can rule, oar taxable values were so email
that nothing like permanent System Oh
road improvement was practicable. At
that time our prairies were unfenced and
what is now the most dens ely populated
and best cultivated portion of the county,
at that time needed no improved roads.
With the exception Of the iron bridges
built in different parts of the county there
are really no permanent mprovements-it
has ali been experiment. No turnpike
roads have ever been built in Texas, hence
this, too, must besan experiment. Under
these circumstances IL seems that we
should take advantage Of whatever knowl-
edge as experience we can obtain herc,sn
then make an experiment such as will
not prove expensive. II the experiment
proves successful then we can inaugurate
a system Of permanent improvements.
Our commissioners court Is now doing
all it can do under the constitution in the
way of luvying taxes, aud have doubtless
expended the money honestly, conscieu-
tiously and to the best of their ability with
the lights before them, and will doubtless
be willing to make small expenditure
that will probably be of permanent benefit
TO the county.
Our road and bridge debt will probably
reach $4,000 when the Montropolis
bridge il finished. 1t will take about
$4,000 to pay interest on this debt. Our
annual income from road and bridge tax
and fines and forfeitures is about $22 900.
In other words we can pay the interest on
our present debt and have left $4,000 for
road purposes. To issue $4,000 of road
improvement bonds would only cost an
additional 81 800 per annum in the way
Of interest, and If the turnpike expert
ment proves success our tax
able valses would permit an
issue Of $15O,s00 more, and
still leave, after paying interest on all
bonds, a surplus of several thousand dol
lars to eXpend upon the less important
roads.
We need no additional legislation, no
addition to the rate OF taxstiOn-in fact,
We need nothing but immediate concert of