Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-06-06
Saturday, June 6, 1903.

amount to seven million dollars. 1t Il
evident that York county, in point y!
ability. Is as we'll able to nave g0oe @
roads as any county In the state. iHs Is
practical question:: Are the peop,,t
able and willing to pay the cos. "
building good roads. AS to TINS auesl the
ton, it Is best to admit 1rankIy IL ens
outset that the cost will be consioeEs T.
oh,s The mileage Of important roaas
IN the county Is something ike 4ot
niles of which about SO miles nave
been materially improved. TO pulio
nermanent and durable system ,,
nnhj;c roads In York county Will cos'
between 100000 and $50O'ooo.
Tn the matter Of road working there
ORC three systems: First, the iam
which has been in vogue IN the SUI ie
for so many years, calling out all soie
hod;ed citizens between the ages OF le
ond S0 wears, and requiring them &c
Work not more than four days; sec,
ond the county taking charge OF an
or part Of the roads In the County
and working them with the cnalnsant !;
or hired labor; and, third, the coN'i"e'
system.
r must be borne in mind that un-
der all of these systems the pupnc pay
the cost. If the people OF the couhey ehe!
are satisfied with the roads as my
now are or any Improvement tnat my ths
be reasonably expected unoeL
present system, requiring ~ p.S 70
YORK the roads, supplemented as II Is
hv the chaingang system, the time nas
not come for a change in the mattei
Of road improvement and DuiIolns;
Tha hmrden or expense Of building ano
;,,,nrovinp the roads today IS porne
h,. those who are liable for road duty,
,,;,mherine about 1000, and the coss
nf the chaingang and the bulldlng ..
bridges. ETC., amounting to ABOUT eis.
or ten thousand dollars annualiy, "a
horne by the tax payers seneian;y
The whole cost Is nearly evenly NV -
ded between those who are Aapie II
road duty and property owners q: any a.
s,s,ad a strenuous effort will be mace
to ionose q part Of the burden on eacn
oS these classes. A continuation VI
tba nresent system will never secure
10 york county a permanent system
of Graded and macadamized roaaS,
for the reason that the present outlay
% hardly sufficient to keep the roaos
we have in repair, and it follows tnas
to secure improved roads, graded anu
macadamized, the cost Will De consiS :
erabIy Increased. A great many peopie
think (and am inclined to agree Win hn
them) that the average COST Will oe
about $1,000 per mile.
TO do the work in ten years Woulu
necessitate an additional tax leVy VI
at least six mills and commutatloi,
tax of at least 81, or work by tnose
liable to road duty equivalent to TINS
amount NV individual opinion is tnat
the tax payers Of York county are potn
unable and unwilling to assume tnls
burden. I also think that whatever
scheme is devised will not find 1aVor
with the majority Of the people III tne
county If the burden imposed upEi'
property exceeds two mills on the oo,,
lar. and the communication tax shoea,' 40
not be less than 81 nor more than 20.
T also believe that If the people OF the
county decide to pay the Increased
cost and to bear the burden of secur-
ing good roads that the present system
of working should be dispensed wltn'
and the contract system inauguratea;
Now. as to whether 1t Is most al,
yisable to levy an additional tax ana
REQUIRE q Communication tax, both to De
exnended annually under the CONTRACT
system, the work supplemented py tne
county chaingang or whether II woulu
be better to issue per cent. long term
bonds, Is a practical question TOT the
people to decide in the event they con-
clude to change the present syslent.
AS has been stated, under a pan ~ ~
grade and macadamiZe generally the
oublic roads in the county and levy
tax. under a plan requiring ten years
for the completion Of the Work, Woulo
reouire something like an expenditure
~ ss0 OOO annually. If longer period
for the work, say twenty years, Is
taken the cost Of repairing the WORK
first done would be very great. HOW
much. I can't say. On the other hand,
if the people Of York county conciuoe
that they wish the work done In say
two or three years. the only practlca-
BILE scheme would be to issue lons
time 4 per cent. bonds, we WIN say,
running so years and fundable at the
ontion of the county after twenty
Years. The amount necessary, In my
opinion, would be something like S3o0.-
600 and this sum with the work OF the
chaineang, as at present, would pulld
the roads in the three years. Ihe
work would be given out under con-
tracts after surveys by competent en-
gineers much the same as contracts
for building railroads are given out. a
two mill tax on six and a half million
dollars worth of real property Woulo
raise $4,000 annually. A 81 commuta-
ton tax on those liable to roao outy
in York county will raise $I0oO an,
nually. A $3.50 communication tax VIII
raise $10,500 annually, or a 81 com
aily. So that it would be easily prac-
ticable, with a two mill tax and 81
communication tax, to pay the. interest,"
$4,000 on the bonds annually. operate
q force equal to two chaingangs al the
present cost, (the cost Of one or the
gangs paid as at presently and lay py
$4,000 annually for sinking fund;. or
with a Communication tax at $l.5O 10
increase the amount annually for the
sinking fund to $500. Or, with q
communication tax of 81, the amount
raised annually, $4,000. would pay the
interest on the bonds, operate one
chaingang and leave $4,000 annuailS
for a sinking fund, or operate three
chaingangs or their equivalent In hir-
ed labor, and leave $4,000 annually Tor
a sinking fund. This, in my opinion,
would build the roads in three years
and keep them in repair permanently
Now. as to the most feasible plan.
as I have already stated. this is a mat
ter for the voters and taxpayers IN
York county. I have no plan or pet
scheme. AS matters stand today. un.
der the present system, the cost OF
working the roads, other than that OF
building bridges and paying the ex-
penses Of the chaingang, is borne en-
tirely by those liable to road duty,
and this will continue unless the con-
tract system is inaugurated, and
property tax, in addition to commu-
tation tax on those liable to road
duty, is levied on property.
Now, when it comes to the question
of taxation and particularly to a
question of issuing bonds, country peo-
pie are in this respect more conserva-
tive that others for the reason that
the man who tolls winter and summer
on a farm has, as rule, higher ap-
probation Of his dollar, after he makes
il, than those who have labor in 9TH
er lines. But there Is one phase OF the