The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-10-20
THREE HUNDRED MILES
 OF MACADAM ROADS
President of the Board of Revenue Explains the Reason the Roads Are Not In Better Con-
 dition.


 Jefferson county respecting the condition of the county roads have awakened in the public a desire to know what the reason Is that the highways in this community are not more satisfactory than they are.
 Interviews printed in. yesterdays Age Herald with representative citizens of the county. while differing in details, agree in the main that the condition of the roads needs to be improved and improved at once.
 John T. Reed, president of the board of revenue, under whose direction the road improvement work in the county is done, recently pointed out the difficulties with which the board is confronted in carrying forward the work. He said that there are now 1900 miles of dirt road in the county and 300 miles of macadam road. To keep these 1900 miles of public highways in good condition-to maintain and to extend them-the board of revenue has. after the deduction of money to pay the in- terest on bonds, approximately $6O,0O0 an- nually, or about $37.5O mile for road inn provement in Jefferson county.
 How Money Is Obtained.
 This S6O,000 is obtained by a personal tax of $3 a year on all able-bodied citizens of the county between the ages of IS and 45 years, and by tax of mill on every dollars worth of realty in the county.
 In distributing this money, the board of revenue, MT. Reed explained, devised systematic plan of road improvement, whereby the county has been divided into eight separate districts, each of which Is in charge of road overseer and five or more workmen, the whole work being di- rected by a supervisor of county roads,
 MT. Reed. in behalf of the board of revenue, said that with the money in hand the board had done as we'll as could be expected in improving the condition of the road. "The task is big one,' he said. "The area to be covered is wide. and the rural districts as well as the roads near Birmingham must receive at- tenton."
 Many New Roads.
 great many new roads have been opened hundreds of small bridges have been kept in repair, thirteen new steel bridges have been built, or are in the process of construction, and dligent att tention has been paid to grading and filling
 "To do this work requires time, men and money. The board of revenue has not put the fifty convicts. reserved for the purpose by it's lease with the Ten nessee company, at work on the roads, and 1t has not done so for the reason that in the judgment of the board, the roads could be worked more effectively and more economically with free labor than with convict labor. The Tennessee company pays s24 a month for the able bodied male conviets of age and only these could be used to advantage on the county roads. Besides this $24 a month the Tennessee company clothes, feeds. shelters and guards the convicts. The board of revenue has concluded that it would be cheaper to employ free labor at SIPS day than to work the convicts."
 Doubts Wisdom.
 Mir Reed further said that he doubted the wisdom of working the convicts on the county roads so long as the county could lease them so advantageously In conclusion, he said that the board of revenue welcomed fair criticism of road conditions in the county, and would be glad to receive any helpful suggestions that might be made regarding ways and means by which the public highways | could be improved
 Time for Change. B. A. Thompson back tax commissioner and chairman of the county democratic executive committee. thinks the time has come for the county to conduct the build- ing and maintenance of the public roads on a purely business basis "The board of revenue has taken for ward step in the betterment of the pub lie roads, by abolishing the contract sys- tenn. hope that it will keep up the good work. The good roads question is one that affects, perhaps, more people than any other one issue. Without good roads development of the country is practically impossible.
 | '1 have not travelled over the roads as | much as these automobile fellows, and | hence am not as well informed on the l conditions as they are. By the wa.s auto | mobiles, bicycles and rural free delivery | of the mail are three of the best 6e- | velopers and promoters of good roads in | modern times.
 Jefferson has grown so rapidly that we | have practically outgrown the roads, so | to speak. It has been almost an impossible l matter for the board of revenue to keep | the roads abreast of the growth of the | county.
 | With the expenditure of s120000 year | on the public highways and bridges, and with the funds rapidly increasing, Jef- | ferson should soon have the best roads | in the south. We must accept the roads 1 question as one of the most important de- | partments in the county. We must fully 1 comprehend the scope of the roads prob lem, and go about in the best way to l solve it."
 | 'I believe that eventually we will work l out the question and not only have the best public roads in the country but the best system for their maintenance" Chief Deputy Sheriff Albert Stradford. who travels widely over the county. says | that as a whole the public roads are in l fairly good condition. He calls atten- | tion to the fact that it is in the outlying municipalities where the roads are neglected.
 During the past summer travelled