The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-02-08

the matter will be gone into fully. Due
notice of this meeting will be male
public and a free participation of the
citizens of the county and city is in
vited The chief argument or objection
urged against the plan of working the
reads provided in the bill, so far as
has been raised, is:
That it is unfair to the balance of the
county to employ all the convicts to
work upon the roads of the Raleigh Dis
trict. That the county has for a long
time and will continue under the pro-
posed bill to pay out of it's general fund
the cost of the care, feeding and cloth
ing of the convicts and the roads of the
county at large and not one particular
district should get the benefit of their
labor.
1t is admitted by every one that this
objection should forfeit the passage of
the bill unless some perfectly fair
equivalent for the work of the convicts
in the country districts is provided
In the first place the bill does provide
that not more than 25 convicts may be
sent by the Board to assist the work in
these districts. This means that one-thlrd
of the entire convict force may be sent
to the country districts There are four
County Commissioners from the country
to one from the Raleigh District and 1t
is likely that they will see that the
country districts are fairly treated.
In the second place ten hired laborers
are provided for each country district
G,Sl this number may be increased oy
the Board at liberty-all to be paid out
of the road fund, If ''ision OF t9e
convicts was to be made among the dis
tricts in proportion to the taxation, no
one of the districts in the country woulo
receive as many as ten. Is not thls
fair equivalent?
In addition there are many good reaS-
ons why the convict force OF the count
should not be divided.
1t would compel the erection OIL at
least one camp in each district, increase
the expense of caring for, teedlng ana
guarding them. and Chiefest of all compel
a division of their work and render 1T OF
less value.
Again. there arc many, many petitions
now before the board. for work to be
dcnc on the roads within the Raleigh
District and the number of convcts is.
by no means sufficient to do this work,
even in IA long time.
It should also be considered that the
Raleigh District will be much larger than
any other district, it will be a circle
miles across: that it will have many
more miles of road than any two dis
trcts: that it will raise about 60 cents
OF every dollar raised from taxation, and
that it's roads will be used. even by the
residents. If remote district, more
than the roads in his own district In
short the nlan in the proposed bill was
adopted with two main views:
list. Work the roads in the Raleigh
District as nearly as possible as they
are now worked.
End Provide a more efficient way of
working the roads in the county.
To effect the latter money was neces-
sary. Now let's examine and see how
this money will be spent
If a road tax of 90 cents on the 500
and so cents on the poll should be
levied in the county it would raise near
lv $50 .0C0 and as the conviCts are still
to be cared for out OF the general fund
the whole OF this would be available
for road work Heretofore the Raleigh
District has raised and expended on its
roads about 1000 or $4,000 rer year
Suppose $4,000. or even $4,000, should
he spent on this district under the pro-
roser law it would leave balance of
from SIS. 600 to $20nnO available for the
work in the other districts.
OF evorv dollar raised from this tax
tho Raleigh District will raise between
co and s. cents. and yet our representa-
tives. (all but onel. arc saying that the
Raleigh Road District is getting undue
advantage Of the other districts and the
people of the country districts will not
approve of the law.
BART NJ GATLING.