Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1911-04-07
CONDITIONS UNLIKE
IN EACH DISTRICT

On April 18th, there will be an
election for each District, for a GER
tain amount of bonds, $3.50, 600 for
Clear Fork, 5000, 900 for jefferson
vile and $175.OO for Maiden
Spring. 1t is not a county bond cleo
ton. such as is generally held. The
voters in each District vote on the
question of bonds for their district.
and also on the question for the other
Districts. A man can vote against
the bond iassue in his District and
for it in the others. There will be
one ballot, on which will be printed
the names of the three districts, some
distance apart, and under the name of
each district will be printed "FOR
BOND ISSUE" and AGAINST
BOND ISSUE" In order for the
bonds to carry in Jeffersonville Dis
trict, there must be majority in the
district, and also majority of the
votes cast in he county on jefferson
vile district; that is, bonds might be
voted and issued for one district, and
voted down in the others.
MAIDEN SPRING DISTRICT.
Do majority of the voters of
Maiden Spring district want debt of
SITS, 600 to build less than 80 miles
of macadam roads? We think not, if
they understand what it means and
where the roads are located.
All of the macadam roads in Maid
en- Spring district are required by the
order to be IL feet wide. Some of
them will be very difficult to build
and require much rock excavation,
and cost as much as $4,000 per miles.
See the copy of the order printed
elsewhere in the News. The average
cost of n - foot macadam under
State supervision under like condi-
tions is from six to eight thousand
dollars per mile. At $4,000 per mile,
the $175, 600 would build less than
30 miles of macadam, so that 3 miles
or more of the SO miles of macadam
specified will be left out, and also if
the macadam roads are built first.
the roads mentioned in the last part
of the order, III and 12-being up
Big Creek and Poor Valley, will be
left out and get nothing.
There are about 200 miles of pub
lie roads in Maiden Spring district.
The bond issue will improve SIS than
one sixth of these roads, and all of
the people in the district will be tax
ed for 80 odd years to pay for these
few favored roads and sections. All
of the road tax for the next 80 years
will be going to pay off the bonds,
and the people along the other five
siXths of the roads will be receiving
nothing for their roads.
The bond issue will cost Maiden
Spring district in interest, at 5 1-2
per cent. which is as low as district
bonds can be sold for, $9625 annually
and the sinking fund annually to pay
off the principal of the bonds at ma
turity, the further sum of $4,000,
making total of $12, 625 each year,
until the bonds are paid. 30 year
bonds will make the total cost $685.
$50. Under the pay plan, by spend
ing the $12, 625 on building macadam
roads each year for eight years
would give SOL, 900, which would
build, with home labor and teams,
under the supervision of the district
road committee, 80 miles of macad-
am, and all be paid for, and then
could go ahead and improve more
roads, instead of having to wait I'M
til the end of 80 years.
The Supervisors of Tazewel county
borrowed $83, 500 under the Acts of
1892 and later Acts, for permanent
improvements, each district getting
one third, and most of this borrowed
money was wasted, and for nearly 20
years, from 1892 down to 1909, a
big part of our road money was con-
sumed in paying the interest and
principal of these road bonds. 1t
was not thrown away on the roads
by the thousands and thousands OF
dollars, as the bond issue advocates
tell you, but it was thrown into the
sinking fund and to pay the interest
on the bonds issued by the Supervi-
sors under the Tazewell County Bond
Issue Acts of 1892 and the later
Acts. We tried the bond issue plar
of building roads, and it lasted from
1892 to 1910 Then the present Taze-
we'll Road Law was passed in Febru-
airy, 1910, which provided for the re.
pair and maintenance of all the road.
of the county, and for making perma.
nent improvements on the pay-as-you
go-plan.
The bond issue plan is not good fol
a majority of the taxpayers. 1t may
suit the people, whose lands and bus
mess will be benefited by the macad