The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-18

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 from building one mile of pike road or
 making one cent of appropriation Tor
 the construction of our public foaas
 and highways. Even now, under tue
 operation of the amendment, We only
 have power to use the net pfoeeeds
 arising from the hire of conVicts ana other available funds in the treasury
 for the construction and improvement
 of the public roads The adoption then of this amendment was a clear, plan
 and manifest declaration by the people
 of Alabama that the policy which had heretofore prevailed of placing all the
 burden of cost of constructing our nigh
 ways upon the rural communities of | the different counties in the state must
 be changed and that the state must in justice bear it's just proportion of the
 cost
 Tie injustice or the former policy. by | which all the burden of road making
 WAS placed upon the farmers and those 1 residing in the rural communities IS
 made manifest when we consider the
 concentration of population and wealth
 in tine great cities of the country. IL
 was stated a few years ago by an eml-
 nent authority. that in all of the cities
 east of the Mississippi and north T
 the Ohio, a majority of the people are 1 living in the cities, and much more than half of the wealth was centered there. | 1 lation in the cities of this state to our
 rural communities is constantly in 1 crea sing and the time is not far distant when one half or more of our popuia- 1 ton and taxable values will be found l in the cities and larger towns of Ala l bama Hence it is manifest that If the
 policy which has l. eretofore prevailed of resting the burden of the cost of con- strueting and improving our highways l upon our agricultural class should con- l tine in this state. one half, and Tn the l future probably three -fourths, of the wealth and population of the state
 would escape the burden.
 The burden of our system of road
 making has been too heavy for our rural 1 population to bear, with the necessary
 result that our highways have not kept
 pace with our industrial development
 increasing traffic and population. 1 The legislature now has power to de- l vote the net proceeds of the hire 0f l convfcts as well as other available
 funds of the state treasury, towards the l improvement and construction of our public roads, but what proportion of the l cost should be borne by the state and 1 counties and precincts, is one which
 will require your careful consideration and earnest thought, if state aid for
 our public roads is undertaken. We
 must not overlook the fact that the
 limit of state taxation is fixed by the constitution and that 30 cents on each S10O of taxable property must be de- voted to public education. It Is evident that the remainder must first be appro- priated to the payment of the interest on the public debt and the support or
 the state government, including ap- propria tions which in justice and Tn honor we owe to the Confederate vet crans. Proper Methods The first essential conclusion to be drawn from our own. as well as the eX- perience of other states, is that only by county and state aid combined and oy system which places the burden of road making not upon part of the population but upon all the people, the wealth and property of the state and county can we expect to secure sys- tenn of good roads; in other words, system of taxation upon all the wealth and population of the county and state must be adopted. In addition to the maximum limitation of one-haf of one per centum of the taxable property in each county each county can levy special tax for roads not to exceed one fourth of one percentum.
 State Highway Commission In my judgment the first step whlcn should he taken In our movement 10 se- cure adeauate highways in Alabama Is the establishment of a state highway commissions l. therefore, recommend the immediate establishment of such | commission, to be presided over by 1 civil engineer who is an expert in road l building and who should be invested l with full authority to supervise the 1 construction of all the roads in Ala bama There should be no requirement that he should be citzen of Ala hama. and the salary provided should oe sufficient to secure one of the most competent men in the country. The creation of such a commission. and Of good roads department, will not en- tail very great cost and will secure scientific and uniform system of road making in Alabama. It will place at the disposal of every county of the state not only the knowledge of skilled ex- pert, but the results of the experience and knowledge of every state in the union and of foreign lands. Such de- partment will gather for use all the sci
 entific information which car be ob- taiaed as to tho best methods. the most
 suitable material in each county for road building, and will be the first and most important step In a scientific ef- fort to secure an adequate, uniform and thorough system of public roads in the state.
 | We should inaugurate a system whlcn would give every county in Alabama  advanced states of the union. Notwith- standing our climate and soil and our unequaled resources, we should not Tor | get shat unless we have the patriotism to secure an adequate system of public l roads. Ala ma will never reach the highest development or take her proper
 rank in the sisterhood of states. If l YOU can secure a wiser and better sys- | tenn of public roads in Alabama, the 1 developrso ont, the progress and the pros- perity which will necessarily follow, | will entite you to the gratitude and | thanks of generations vet unborn.
 recommend that the bill which you
 adopt shall provide comprehensive 1 system by which uniformity will be se- | cured and the plans for all road build
 ing furnished by the state highway I commission
 l l also recommend that 1t be made the dutv of tie commission to furnish speci- l fieations and estimates for all public bridges in the state. with authority 70 lengage in experimental road work. The l info.ma tion which can be gathered by
 such work will introducea to the differ ent communities improved methods of road work and theA value of new and
 heretofore untried methods.
 l The creation of this commission | should not be undertaken unless you l provide such a salary as will secure tfe l services of a man who Is thoroughly laualified by experience and education I for this important work.
 | Automobiles
 | The automobilo has made it's appear ance in Alabama and is here to stay. It's manufacture has become, one of the most important industries of the coun-