The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1903-04-11

the culverts needing repair and
many bridges damaged and in an
unsafe condition, the demand on the
road and bridge fund is more than
doubled, and nothing but a deficit
staring the commits sioners in the
face. The people are demanding
new bridges, more bridges, new cul-
verts and better culverts, and all
the time criticising the commits
sioners because they are slow to
grant them, and the commissioners
are trying TO avoid hole in the road
and bridge fund Oh one hand and
running against the wall OF public
censnre on the other. Nine times
out Of ten the officers do not need
censure but counsel and encourage
ment.
The money paid out of the road
and bridge fund is not wasted. Amy
citizen desiring tn do so can have
access to the accounts presented
and allowed by the commits sioners
at each term of the court, or exam
inc the claim docket of the county
tltih VI AAlE ioohs VI tue COUNTY
treasurer, and see where and for
what purpose every dollar is ex-
pended. The simple fact is less
than the sum necessary to main
tain them. The greatest drain on
the fund comes from the lumber
bills. II you have not realized the
cost of lumber, 20 and price IA bill
for smoke house, then double that
to yaF yfpa I'D Al r4..sf
on bridges and culverts and 1t will
come to you with a shock which
compares only slightly with the
nightmare each commissioner has
when confronted with his quarterly
lumber bill. 1t will be more readily
understood what the lumber bill
alone amounts to by little calcu-
lation. There are proximately 100
miles of roads in the county. In
round numbers the road and bridge
fund is SO, 600. That gives s.. 90 per
mile for road maintenance. There
Is on an average OF three culverts
to the mile. One out of every three
must be replaced by a new one each
year. The lumber for six foot
culvert costs about $50. When
you have replaced one culvert to
the mile Ii leaves fifty cents for the
maintenance of the remainder OF
the mile Of road OF the year.
By the use OF the most riged econ
Omy our road and bridge fund will
be exhausted practically by August
There Is no necessity of calling the
peoples attention to the need Of
work on the roads at this time. 1t
will take at least two years steady
work to put the roads back in the
condition they were i'm before the
rains of the past winter. There is
but one way to supplement the road
and bridge fund, that is by taxation,
and the people are the ones and only
ones wo can put the machinery in
motion to do this, aud 1t is for them
to say whether it shall be done.
Our law provides that, "The com
missioners court of any county
shall, upon presentation to it, at
any regular session, of a petition
signed by two hundred qualified
voters, they beirg property taxpay-
ers of the county, to order an cleo
ton to determine whether there
shall be levied upon the property
within said county by said commits
sioners court road tax not TO ex
coed fifteen cents on the one HUI
dred dollars worth of property, or
der said election" After this Pc
tition is presented the court can
order an election and not before. In
my Judgment il will not take the
full 10 cents levy TO relieve the pres
ent condition. l believe ten cents
would be sufficient. This could be
voted off at any time after two years
If conditions changed, or il became
desirable.
/ have received letters from some
portions of the county asking me
10 furnish blank petitions asking
for such election. / have no forms
for the purpose, but would suggest
that the following is sufficient,
which may be copied by any one de-
string to use It:
ITO the Commissioners Court Of
Ellis County, Texas: