Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-21
TO GET GOOD ROADS.
DR.. W. Il. Mccullough Proposes a
Scheme He is Sure Would Work.
CONGRESS MIGHT BE REQUESTED
Not to Abolish Internal Revenue Tax On
Whisky and Tobacco.
The STATES COULD USE THAT MONEY

Hon. W. H. Mccullough, of Tarentum, g
member of the State Commission on the I'm
proyement of Country Roads, has received 6
letter from the Secretary of the commission
Charles Ettla, of Philadelphia. The body
was to have met yesterday, but Mr.. Ettls
states that the work of codifying the laws Of
the State on roads has not yet been com.
pleted. As there are hundreds and hundreds
of these enactments on the statute books,
this job took a much longer time than was
expected. They will be printed in pamphlet
form, and as soon as this is out of press, Mr..
Ettla says, the commission will be called to-
gether at Philadelphia. Arrangements
will then be made to take evidence and re-
ceive suggestions from officials and citizens
of the different sections of the State.
DR.. Mccullough has originated an idea as
to the revenue for this proposed improve
ment of public highways. 1t is that the
Legislature be requested to petition Congress
for a retention of the tax on whisky and
tobacco, and that the proceeds, instead OF
going into the Treasury's surplus, be divided
among the various States.
SOURCES OF REVENUE.
DR.. Mccullough has figured out that the
State of Pennsylvania would be entitled to
a twelfth interest in this dlvy, or about
s.. .OOO, 600. The Doctor said when inter-
viewed bv DISPATCH reporter:
after the commission recommends to
the Legislature an expenditure of over
s.. 00O 600 in beginning these grand improve
ments, then the Legislature will have to ask,
Where will this money come from? Reve-
nues Will have to be raised from some new
quarter, and l think that if we could prevail
on the United States Government to give US
$4,000, 600 for rebuilding our roads 1t would be
a big thing. think the proposition would
be popular at Washington. because it would
offer every State in the Union an opportu-
nifty to easily solve the road question, and,
of course, all States being interested, such
measure ought to enlist the sympathy of
members of Congress generally"
Mr.. Mccullough was asked how the State
Commission would meet the request from
large farming element that CITY taxpayers
should be made stand share of the cost of
this road improvement Some farmers claim
that, although they now pay the taxes for
rural roads, the corporations of a city get
1he benefit of the roads, such as an oil COM
pany of Pittsburg operating in Washington
or Butler counties, and hauling their der
rick rigging and timbers out over the road
ways, well nigh running them. He replied:
SOME OBJECTIONS MET.
'Well Of course. when the State appro-
PIRATES an amount annually out of the pub
lie treasury for the Improvement of the
roads, the farmer must remember that that
money was put in the State Treasury BY city
corporations, too. In this wav will the ex-
pense of road building be equally borne.
The commission will also meet the OBJ
lection of many farmers that the land owner
along main road should pay more tax
than the farmer along a smaller interior
road. This will be done in this way: Sup
pose roads were divided into three classes
State, county and township. Well, the |
State appropriation would be devoted to the |
State roads, while large proportion of the |
taxes which the farmer would still have to
pay would 60 to keeping up the county and
township roads. That would give decidedly
more money to the maintenance of the |
smaller roads than they now get, the man |
residing along the State road being made to |
contribute his share to keeping up a good |
interior road for the small farmer, and thus |
helping to increase the value of the small |
farm"
The State Commission now being so near |
the time when they will hear evidence as to |
the condition of the roads, and the suepes-
tlons for the improvement OF the same, there |
viii be probably some move in Allegheny |
county toward acting upon the recent rec
ommendation made by County Engineer |
Davis, in his last annual report, that the |
County Commissioners appoint representa-
tives to appear before the State Commission |
on this very subject Mr.. Davis says there |
is no part of the public works in this county
which is further behind in its progress than |
the maintenance of rural roads, and with |
one exception, that Of Leet township the |
roads of Allegheny county are as bad as can
be found in any part OF Pennsylvania.