The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-19
.ALL CONNECTS ARE NOW
 LEASED ID COMP hN|tS
Reports From overseers Show Exact Expenditures For Maintenance and Just Where the Money
 Has Been Used.
By BURR BLACKBURN.

In closing the books for 1909 and tear ing down the old canendar the good roads advocates find that Jefferson coun- ty has followed It's usual pace in the expenditure of money on the public highways. During the last five years the county has spent an average of $170,- 92729 each year for the improvement of public roads and bridges.
 Since the new Board of Revenue as- sumed charge of affairs s175,951n has been expended. The board has pursued the policy of spending only such money as was actually in hand, but every cent has been turned out of all three funds, $15Ooo borrowed from the general fund,
 and at the present titne there is not a cent In either the macadam, the 8 or the bridge fund
 According to the assessments there will
 be an increase In the money available for
 roads next year of at least per cent. This vii give the board S169,000 for the
 year 1910 to which may be adde loan
 of $1o,ooO to s15,0O0 from the general fund
 if the other expenses of the county will allow
 TOW lt IS EXpSudSOs
 The manner in which this money is ex-
 pended is a matter of interest to every
 taxpayer, and especially will the man
 who lives in the country be interested
 in the full report given below, showing
 where the money went in his particular
 section.
 There is another subject which runs
 parallel with this-the use of the coun-
 tvs convicts, receipts from their hire,
 which has decreased from s79,0Oo last year
 to about $45.0Oo in 19os-and the manner
 in which this money is being distrib-
 uted.
 Jefferson county has built during the last 12 months 19 miles of standardized modern macadamized road at an average
 cost per mile of $274S; has built IS re- inforced concrete bridges. steel bridges
 and made extensive repairs on two
 bridges; established slferries. and opened up IS miles of standard grade dirt roads
 besides making many connections and
 short extensions. ,s'zA Reduction of Grades. e
 The reduction of grades has been a
 particular hobby of the present board
 With their assistance monumental piece
 of engineering has been accomplished
 in the cut through Red Mountain.
 where a hole has virtually been dug
 through the nil and two of the rchest
 valleys in the state finally joined togeth- er The Rasberry and Blue Creek road
 has been taken out of tho creek this
 wear and put on the side of the hill, and other grade reductions were made on the Booker City and Adamsville road, the Short Creek and Wylam road, the Irondale and Leeds road, between Clay toms Cove and Palmer Station, and on the road to Rocky Ridge. Wo/den bridges have been rapidly cleared away and replaced by concrete culverts wher- ever possible.
 The board early in the year established it's own engineering department requiring the whole time of a man and three as- sistants, who have been in active charge of all construction work
 Has 1900 Miles of Roads. Jefferson county now has In all 120o miles of passable road Opinions differ in regard to the total mileage of the macadam roads. In fact, the county bad ly needs a typographical may, showing all the roads and improvements, as under the present conditions no estimate can pe accurate One member of the board places the finished macadam at $50 miles, while another puts 1t as low as 260 miles. Al the present time there Is only one outstanding contract, little strip on the Blue Creek road near the Tuscaloosa county line Under the present depleted condition of the treasury 1t Is not pos sible that any further contracts will be | let until early in the spring, when the taxes for next year are all in. During this year only standard roads l have been constructed. All are Is feet wide with a 3O-foot right of way, and the | slag is put on five inches, the chert four 1 inches. A road roller has been used in all cases and the engineer has been care- full to keep the contractors up to the spec l ifications.
 Roads Macadamized.
 The following roads have been macad- | amized during this year: Blue Creek road ] from Johns to Blue Creek, three miles; l extension of the Tennessee road five 1 miles to Village Springs; Vivian and | Short Creek road two miles; North Bir- mingham to East Thomas, two miles; | Argo to St. Clair line, one mile: Lips l comb to Brighton, one mile; Fairview to l Tuscaloosa pike, two miles; top or 1 Shades mountain, one mile; Fourteenth 1 avenue Bessemer road, one mile; Besse- | mer Fourth avenue road, one mile. Tho | total cost of these roads was $43,975; the average cost for grading and drainage. l H540 and the average cost for slag and 1 cherting, $lSl1.
 l The dirt road improvement sinclude l three miles from Huffman to Center Point l church an done mile intersecting; two and 1 one-half miles from East Lake to North Lake road; three miles from the War l rior and Jasper road to the Blount coun- | ty line; five miles on Wylam and Short l Creek road, and one mile on the Rasp- berry and Blue Creek roads. This work | was practically all done by the county | overseers and the expense is figured in their pay rolls.
 Bridges Built This Year.
 The county now has 46 concrete bridges. | 18 of which have been built this year as | follows: One Tennessee pike. one on l Lacey's branch, 35-foot span; another on | Cedar branch 16-foot span. and third on | Mt Pinson branch, 60-foot span; on the l Blue Creek road across Bullard Shoals l branch, oO-foot span; across Parson' s branch, S6-foot span, and four concrete | culverts; on the Wylam road across | Camp branch, 35-foot span and six con crete culverts; on the Pratt road across Black Creek branch, 12-foot arch; across ! Village creek, 1e-foot arch; on the road