Milford chronicle., 1911-02-24

delaware VIII nave a highway
the entire length of the State, one
hundred and three miles, that will
have no superior in the country
This was virtually assured last Sat
urday, when it was announced
authoritatively that T. Coleman
dupont, president of the dupont
Powder Company, cousin of Sena-
toT dupont, and former Republican
State Chairman, has offered to ad-
vance one million dollars to the
State for the construction of the
highway. 1t is his intention to make
the proposed road the equal of any
IN the United States He wants
the highway to be one hundred feet
in width, but his advisors have
urged him to make the dimensions
eighty feet and possibly sixty feet.
The project has gone so far that
MI. dupont has directed ex-Attor-
ney-General Robert II Richards
and ex-Judge Daniel o. Hastings to
arrange the details. The matter is
the greatest that has ever developed
in this State in connection with
good roads " 1t means that the
Legislature, if Mr. duPont's plans
are accepted, will not be compelled
10 authorize the issuance of bonds
for this purpose. II is doubtful if
any legislation, at least any legisla-
tion of importance, will have to be
enacted by the General Assembly
on the subject Of "good roads.
Mr.. dupont has had this propo-
sitiOn in mind for some time. He
recently communicated withMessrs.
Richards and Hastings and they
have been engaged in looking up
the legal end of the matter
Mr. DUPoNT's PLANS.
His idea, originally, was to ad-
~ nee the vast sum of money to the
State for this specific purpose and (
10 have the present session of the
Legislature pass a law giving cor
poration, which he would organize,
the right OF eminent domain. His
plans were to have the proposed .
cOrporation-a road building COM
pany-consiruct the highway by
the shortest possible route to build
through private land when advan
tageous and to allow the owner
three times the assessed value,
He will agree to be reimbursed to
the advancement of the one million
dollars in a manner that is original
and novel. The present assessment
of farm land in Sussex county aver
ages from $40 to $40 an acre in
Kent and New Castle it is higher.
With the completion of modern
highway-one that will surpass the
famous White Horse pike to Allan .
tic City-the value of farms would s
necessarily increase and so would ;
the assessment. Mr.. DUPONT wants
to effect an arrangement whereby {
the difference in taxation between :
the existing assessment and the as [
sessment that the improvement will |
surely create will be turned over to 6
him. He has figured that he will [
be repaid in few years
MAY DEAL WITH LEVY COURTS.
Because of the fact, however,
that the State Constitution prohibits S
the enactment of special legislation d
in the matter of roads-a barrier &
that the Legislature has been forced
to overcome in passing good road" {
laws for several sessiOns-ex-At-
torney General Richards announced t
that he believed a more logical plan t
to carry out this highly important s
project would be for Mr. dupont 10 t
enter into an agreement, simultane- h
ously with the Levy Courts of New S
Castle, Kent and Sussex counties, b
the road could be built in C
each county and the ends connected. II
Mr. Richards will cOpfer with the
powder manufacturer n
and will suggest the Levy Court p
plan to him. BY doing business d
With the county officials directly, =
Ill constitutional inhibitions will re
,e overcome and the object sought Ii
or can be affected just the same. ID
WILLING TO ASSUME RISK. ~ ~
Mt dupont was called on the w
Ong distance telephone at New
FORK. He confirmed the announce in
lent of his proposition. There is 70
uch a great need in Delaware for a
tate highway of the best construc-
on, said he, that am willing to
sk putting up all the money for It. -
L. ..