The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-10
From All Sections Come Com pIaints That They Are A.
 lowed to Run Down
GOING SAYS RESOURCES
 ARE HARDLY ADEQUATE
Says Best Use Is Being Made of Money and Cites Oxmoor Road as Model Highway-Rural
 Carriers PIaint.

SdFIiCTS FidlnIs
 The crying need of the Jefferson county highways seems to be mash ers." Not in the sense in which they are so superfluous on the streets of Birmingham, but under the guise of steam road engines. It is said to the shame of Jefferson that while other counties in Alabama have one. two and some as many as three of these en- zines. Jefferson has not single one.
 It is generally understood that a scientific, durable road cannot be con- structed without an engine of suf- ficient weight to press the slag into place. Otherwise the money expended in laying it is partly wasted, and goes to ruin This is said to be the cause for the condition of roads over Jeffer- son county from which complaint of gullies and mud holes are coming.
 Three of the rural free mail delivery carriers who were seen yesterday. spoke in no doubtful words of condi tions on their routes. w. M. Carlisle of No. 1 said:
 The roads on my route are perhaps worse than any other in the county. It is one continual jolt and splash, and l hear all kinds of complaint along the way. The municipalities through which l pass are very careless and keep the roads worse than the county, but county roads show the result of great wear. and are far worse today than I have ever known them. My route is out Eighth avenue to Owenton and East Thomas, northwest to B. s. Dob bins place. return through Owenton to Tuxedo park Oakland church and Burgin's place. south to Vinesville and w. s. Burfords, east to Powderly and Dupuy's place. north to Tuxedo park and South Park station, west to Oak land church, return via Helena, Fair view and South Owenton to postof- fee.
 q think there ought to be some joint effort on the part of Birmingham, the suburbs and the county to give the people from the northwest an access to Birmingham"
 
 There is a cry for improvement out beyond East Lake. The two carriers, Nos. and 9, of the rural free delivery both add their voices to the demand Said ". D. Carroll yesterday;
 T have been carrier for six years and never before has the road out to Hdffman via Mrs Burwell's, been worse than it is now. It may seem good to rubber tired automobiles, condition. It could not be much worse than on the trip northeast to Chalk vile and southwest to Trustville. travel this road every day, and can see great room for improvement. The road is some better on the return via Will Bass's and the Industrial school, but none of it would do to brag on. Mud and rocks are the composition of the pavement"
 No. s has a route northeastward to Huffman, thence north to Hickman's place, southwest, via Plnson, Dr. Greens and Caldwells place, thence eastward to Mrs. Blackburn's Return via Bryant's, Wright's and Marshalls store to East Lake. Carrier W. F. Killough said that, although this winter has not been a rough one, nor the travel very heavy. he never saw the county roads so rough and heavy.
 Birmingham citizens only hear from the county peoples troubles. S. L. Earle said yesterday: q think the conditions of tha iS a n n and in my opinion the road system of the county could be improved" The facilities of the Board of Revenue to improve the roads is matter worthy of consideration. According to Job Co., ing, of the s55 900 which composes the macadam fund, s15,OOO was used last year for interest on the bonds, $2O,O00 was used to construct six miles of new road which was imperative and this left only about S20,O0o to pay expenses, salaries. and buy material for repairing the other 925 miles of macadamized road, amounting to less than $15 per year to the mile. It is pointed out that this will not do very much repairing.
 The S30000 that comes from the S3 tax can only be used on the 1850 miles of dirt roads within the county, and the bridge tax is used exclusively for bridges. Fifty miles of new macadam road have been built during the last three years. Thirty new bridges have been constructed in the same length of time. It is estimated that it costs fully $2500 per mile to build macadam road from the ground up.
 When seen yesterday MT. Going said: "There is a great injustice being done the Board of Revenue. l will only speak for those roads l have seen recently. To- day I made an automobile ride over the 20 miles of road to OXmoor. l never saw the roads in better shaps. Dr. R. A. Berry who was with me, said they were better than during any of the nine years he had travelled them Mud and rocks are not to be found. The only bad place