The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1908-05-26
The HARD ROADS QUESTION

The Star was presented yesterday
with draft Of the bill prepared under
the auspices Of the Jacksonville Board
OF Trade and county commissioners
and Good Roads Association of Flor
Ida at meeting recently held in Jack
sonyille. We were requested to pub
l'shy the same, but as we did this sew
eral weeks ago we will simply refer
TO the salient points Of the bill.
1t Is the desire Of the committee
that framed the bill to submit 1t to the
voters OF the state at the second pri-
mary. June 10th. 1t provides for a
state board Of road commissioners. a
state highway commission at salary
OF $4,000 a. year The highway COM
mission Is to be appointed by the gov
efnor on the recommendation OF the
board Of state commissions and to be
removed for cause by the commission.
The state highway commission shall
have the management and supervision
Of construction and road building and
employ such engineers and workmen
as 1t shall be necessary for said work
subject to the approval of the board Of
state road commissioners.
Said board of state road commits
siOners shall lay out a system of state
roads, all over the state and touch the
rfnciDle cities and towns in the state,
Say Fernandina to Jacksonville, then
west to Pensacola, striking all the
Important towns on the line of the s..
"A. l.. railroad; Jacksonville to Miami,
via st. Augustine, Jacksonville to
tampa via Sanford, Orlando, by Green
Cove Springs. Starke, Waldo, Gaines
vile, Ocala, Leesburg, Brooksville
Dade CITY, Tarpon Springs. Clearwat-
or. st, Petersburg, from Plant City 10
Fort Myers.
The bill provides that the state shall
refund to the county for every mile of
hard road built eight feet wide $3.50
to connect with main lines; $500 a
mile for sixteen-foot ROAD and 81 900
mile for a twenty four-foot road
which branches shall be built by the
various county commissioners and ac-
copied by the state board of road COM
Inissiohers. For state road building
purposes there shall be annually ap,
propriated 100000. The question is,
are the people OF Florida ready to go
irto the state road building business.
II SO let them so indicate on their bal
lots June 18th, so that by their votes
the members elected to the legislature
10 make laws in 1909 shall be guided.
That state roads are great public
benefit no one can deny. and that the
spirit for good hard roads is abroad
In the land, not only in Florida, but
among the people of other states.
where very liberal appropriations are
made for this work is being more
clearly manifested every day. The
only question with our people is are
they ready to begin the work now and
carry 1t on for the next generation.
There is no use going into it unless
the people are determined to carry it
to a successful end
Our idea about this matter 1t tina.
state aid should be given to counties
showing a disposition to- help them
selves and in this way stimulate the
building of good roads, which in time
would join other county roads and
eventually extend the system all over
the state, the interest growing as the
benefits become apparent, and while
the roads would not be built as fast
as by the state doing the work in
dependently, the interest would grow
stronger and greater and in the end
the result would be the same.