The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1906-10-19
GOOD ROADS
FOR ST. LUCE
Enthusiastic and Profitable Meet
ing Wednesday Afternoon.
TO BOND FOR $4,000
Trunk Road the Length Of the County With
Connecting Branches Where They
viii Best Serve the People.

As announced last week the good
roads association met in the Improve
mcnt Club hall Wednesday afternoon,
with a good attendance. While no
large crowd was present, the various
portions of the county were well repre-
scented by influential citizens, who are
interested in the good roads movement
and whose opinions are worthy of notice
and consideration.
ID. +. Austin. presided and after
stating the object of the meeting, sug-
gcsted the election of a secretary dur
ing the absence of Secretary Jennings.
Col. +. &. McMullen, of Eden, was UNI
anmously elected to the position.
The minutes of the meeting of May
Is, were read and adopted, after amend
ing the resolution regarding the selec-
ton of bond trustees. 1t now reads
that the chairman shall call mass
meeting in each school district to nOmi-
nate two candidates for bond trustees
in each district, of whom one from each
district shall be elected by vote of the
people.
Hon. G. Y. McCarty, chairman of the
committee appointed at the May meet
ing reported that the committee had
looked into the matter pretty thoroughly
and suggested the six subjects for dis
cussion, which were published in last
weeks TRIBUNE.
In the matter of bonding and pro-
bable amount, Mr.. McCarty was asked
to give the figures he had procured in
regard to interest, taxation, etc. lie
showed that taxes would not be in
creased as is generally believed, but on
the other hand would easily be lessened.
Taking 800, 900 bonds, for 25 years as
bases, and our million and a half
assessed valuation, three and a fraction
mills would pay the interest, and
fraction less than three mills would
create a sinking fund of $1,000 each
year to pay the bonds. Thus six mills
road tax will pay the interest every
year and take up the bonds in % years.
In this way we get system OF hard
roads at once, and the residents get
the benefit of the high ways and at a
, cheaper rate of tax than is now being
paid with no noticeable results. The
present special road tax is seven mills,
and the amount it brings in each year
does not justify the commissioners in
buying the necessary road machinery
that would be used could a large amount
be expended for that purpose. BY bond
ing. the seven mill special tax would be
eliminated and in its stead the bonding
0 tax levied for smaller amount
o a resolution was introduced by W.
/, r. Haree, of Jensen, and adopted,
/. favoring the bonding Of the county for
d $3.50, 900, the bonds to run for % years.
. The discussions of the location Of roads
t was discussed at considerable length.
t The sense of the meeting wa 10
build trunk road the length Of the
f county along the river front with side
= roads extending to all places where
,, they would best serve the interests oil
d the various communities, The biggest
V proposition on the side roads was the
It reaching of the farming section in the
west end of the county. John +. Parker
d Of Fort Drum, was called on to state
h ,he condition of the roads in his section
e and what amount would he necessary
D. to build a good road to the west end.
< He cave n most accurate and Intelligent
It account of the needs of his section.
t. Mr.. Parker stated they did not want
If road as a luxury but as n necessity, Ion
At that was the only means of transport
,e t;on. He showed by the map that the
present road from Fort Drum to Fort
r. Pierce was unnecessarily long ana sug
lie pestcd route by which the big elbow
of could be cut Off and save eight or ten
on miles. The proposed route, which wa
entered on the minutes in resolution
of was as follows. The present road fror
nd Fort Pierce to Ten Mile creek, the
build new road across the flats t
mt Cowbone island where it would inter
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