Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-07-15
New MexicO's New County Road Boards
By Francis E. Lester in New Mexico Good Roads.

cluding both skilled and common la
Dor will be- hired BY these road
boards. and presumably, IN many
counties Il will be found TO be tho
wisest. aud In the long run the best
plan Co secure the services of train
od road builder, and for each county
to direct. In an expert way. the work
~ road building,
The resources available for road ex-
pondliures In each county win c0ino
from the following four different
sources:
lat. such tax levy FOR road pur-
poses az the county commissioners 90
each county may decide upon.
I'd. The state road tax. which ~
the Same as heretofore. namely. AN
annual tax OF $500, payable In cash
OF labor. from each male citizen
I'd. The proportion TO which each
county In cntitled OF tho $500. 900 state
bond issue for state highways. prOvld-
cd for by senete bill t61. This bond
Issue must first be- approved by tho
citizens of the state al an election. "
40 approved. the proceeds Of tho
bonds, when received, are 10 be dis
tributcd TO the different counties Of
the state In the same proportion as
the collection OF state taxes IN tho
preceding year IN such county. For
example. " certain county contrib
uted Onc-tenth OF the state taxes ac-
iualiy n.yeciod In the preceding year.
that COZ hty viii DO entitled 10 enc
lenth of tile prooeeds of tie 100000
state b, nd Issue; such money 10 be-
expended upon state highways In That
county. under the direction Of the
state highway commission.
Ath. The proceeds OF any bonds
issued by tho county for road pur-
poses. senate bill i62 authorizes the
issuance OF bonds by the various
counties os our state, within the con-
stitutional limits, and makes possible
what previously was impossible;
namely, the Issuing OF road bonds by
each county The proposition 10 Ia
sue county road bonds must Doe voted
on 10y the citizens OF the county be-
fore they can be lssned.
u viii thus be seen that ample
financial provision has been made by
the yailous acts passed by our recent
legislature for tho building 0f good
roads all through our state. Tho or
ganl1ation Of our county road boards
provides the machinery for a wise and
effective application OF these funds
that are 60 be available. ~ advan-
tasv IN taken of these conditions. va
shall see wonderful change within
the next year or two. In the matter
% collecting and properly applying tho
county road tax alone many thous-
ands Of dollars In each county can
now he wisely expended In tho im-
provement or our county roads;
whereas In the past from this source
many counties have received very lit
tie actual good.
The organization ~ our new county
roads boards should serve as cali
10 action ON the part Of all puOllc
spirited citizens Interested In good
roads IN each county. We should SEQ
To u that on our county road boards
We secure the appointment 0f honest.
efficient men inspired with a high
sense of civic duty Serving without
salary, these men can ind no rccom-
pense for the large amount of time
ana thought that wise adminlstra-
don OF county road affairs will re-
quire, except that which comes from
SENSE OF duty and from making a
clean and honorable record IN each
county. Tho working OF our new
road laws will be watched closely BY
the critics OF those laws and By that
minority ia our state who has yet 10
see the immense direct and Indirect
benefits that come from better roads.
lsct un see 70 I, that We start right;
hFst " securing wise Appointments
on aur road boards aud second, by
SWING such boards the loyal and en-
thuA'hstlc support Of all who have Al
neArs she oeisermept 81 road conai-
sions IN our state.