Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1911-02-16
GOOD ROADS CLUB
HOLDS MEETING
P. St. John Wilson, State Highway CON-
missioner, Delivers an Able Address
Will Ask For $60O,OO0 Bond Issue.


AS a preliminary to the meeting of
the Good Roads Club of last Saturday
the Clear Fork District held q meeting
at the courthouse in the morning to out
line the course this district would take
in the county meeting.
The district meeting was called to
order by F. M. Moss who briefly stated
the object of the meeting and II. S.
Bowen followed with a few remarks
along the same line.
A. S. Greever called attention to the
fact that the meeting had no secretary
and nominated C. A. Wagner who was
unanimously elected to the position.
H. C. Galloway asked if the other
districts had made any proposition to
Clear Fork and was told that the other
districts had been invited to be present
and express themselves.
V. l.. Sexton followed in an address
in which he called attention to the fact
that Clear Fork had paid 46 per cent of
the taxes of the county for past 25
years and saw no reason why it could be
expected that the ratio would change in
the next 25 years and that if the bond
issue be county one that the amounts
should be divided in proportion to the
amount of taxes paid and to this end in
troduced a resolution to the effect that
if the bond issue be for the county that
Clear Fork demand that 46 per cent of
the proceeds be expended in that dis
trict.
After a general discussion in which
the provisions of the various road laws
were brought out and explained, Mr..
Sexton offered the following as a sub
stitute for his previous resolution:
Resolved, That, Clear Fork in the
county meeting this afternoon ask
that the proposed bond issue be
called under the act of 1908 instesd
of the act of 1910 and ask that
district bond issue be called for in
the coming election.
The substitute resolution was carried
unanimously and the district meeting
adjourned.
THE COUNTY CLUB MEETING.
The Good Roads meeting of Tazewell
county was called to order at 1:30 p. m.
by the president, F. M. Moss, who af
ter briefly stating the object of the
meeting, introduced Mr.. H. st. John
Wilson, State Highway Commissioner.
Mr.. Wilson briefly recited the history
of the organization of the Highway
Commission and told of the various acts
under which the work was now carried
on. That previous to the organization
of the commission that out of the three
quarters of a million spent annually by
the State there was nothing to show for
the money spent on the roads and that
now under the systematic handling of
the roads problem each year shows
constant gain in good roads.
The provision of the various acts and
amendments for building roads was
then explained. Under the bonding
acts eighteen counties have voted and
only two, Scott and Henrico, have voted
against bond issue.
The present road laws provide that
roads may be macadamized or otherwise
permanently improved. Some misap-
prehension exists as to the use of the
word permanent By usage it has come
to mean q road that remains practically
the same throughout the year that is as
good in the winter as in the summer.
Under the present law the following
classes of roads have been constructed:
Pavements; macadam, with bond;
bituminous macadam; petroleum bond
ssc1 automobiles; gravel; native soil;
sand-clay.
Out of the 600 miles built under the
Highway Commission about one-half
has been of stone mscadam.
Answering a question Mr.. Wilson
said, would consider the improving of
q road by changing and lowering the
rate of grade to be more permanent
than covering with stone As stone would
eventually wash or wear away but the
improved grade would last forever.
Explaining State aid Mr. Wilson said
the law provided that the State funds
be apportioned among the counties pro
rata with the assessed valuation of the
property and should Tazewell vote
bonds and expend them on highways
her proportion-amounting at present
ratio to about SO, 600 to So, 700 year
would be returned to this county until
the amount equaled half the sum, this
county spent on its roads. That the
money received from the State
could be applied on the interest or put
in the sinking fund That the expense
of the Highway Commission was paid
by the State and no expense would be
incurred by the county for the aid and
advice of this department. The only
expense being the salary of the engin-
eer actually in charge-$1O0.0 per