Bisbee daily review., 1912-08-01
COUNTY BOARDS ID DETERMINE
 ROAD LOCATION
Former DictatOrial Policy Abandoned by Engineer Cobb; New Law Ef-
 fective Sept. IS.

teen counties of Arizona upon the subject of state highways. State En- gineer Lamar Cobb has had printed and sent a long and detailed letter explaining the new law, which was approved on June 20 last, and hence becomes operative September Is. The letter. if printed here, would require upwards of three columns of space, and at this time nothing more than Ia digest of the more important points it sets forth is possible. X copy of the letter was yesterday re ceived at the office of the Commercial ' club. and the entire letter win be read at the good roads meeting which will be held at those offices this evening at o'clock, the subject of state highways being one of the chief subjects for consideration at that meeting
 Expenditures Are Limited
 Sec. VII of the Roberts law pro vides that no obligation shall be as sumed or expense incurred in any fiscal year in excess of the levy Con sequently. the letter states, there are no funds that will be available until after December l, this being ac- | cording to the construction of the supreme court, and further on the l letter shows that there will be TO i funds available for surveys out Of ! the regular road tax, but that ap- proximately Sl5 900 arising from the automobile tax will be applicable for such uses.
 Policy is chanqed The dictatorial policy of the old | territorial board of control has been abandoned. In those days the state engineer and the board made their selection of routes and sought to give | the counties no voice in the matter. | but Engineer Cobb states that the | selection of routes for state highways and location of proposed cOnstruc- ! tion work should be taken under con sideration of the various boards. that he will be glad to meet with them, but that consideration should | Dc given the matter first af1 pref erence decided. His policy will be ! to defer to the will of the bOard except where there arc serious en- gineering difficulties entailed by so doing. and he desires to select direct 1 ing engineers. all other employees tu be selected by the boards.
 Distribution of Funds The Roberts law pTOyideG for the annual raising by a state tax of S25o,- GOO. instead of the old method of the county raising the tax ard paying it to the state treasurer. Of this sum 75 per cent must be spent in tbe counties where it is levied while the remaining 25 per cent pays the expenses Of engineering work and is applicable in any section Of the state, thus enabling work in the less poPulous counties, where assessed valuations are lowest.
 The letter states that until the new tax levy Is made and announced, it will be impossible to determine the amount of the $lS7 800 to be divided among all the counties, gro rata, that each will receive, but on tie basis of the last assessment, Cochise county will receive S3S.250 for state highway work. Pima Sl5000. Maricopa St2 0G0, while Yavapai receives haif that amount The funds of the latter two counties may. if desired, be devoted lasting. Ask the best mechanics entirely to the construction Of the north and south highway. There may, however. be some wide varia- tions. How little can be done in some counties is shown by the fig ures of $2.25O in Apache, S4.500 m santa Cruz, Mohaye and Navajo. ST., S75 in Coeonino, $e.750 in Pinal, and S7,500 in Yuma.
 General Fund Exhausted
 Under the provisions Of the law, the State Engineer has at his dis posal 25 per cent of the S62,500, but there is also the provision that from this must be paid the existing deficit, which on July 1 was $50,000, that the amount contributed by Maricopa 10 this 25 per cent shall be spent on the Tempe bridge, and there is a separate law which appropriates S5,- 500 for the Chevalon Creek bridge. These figures leave deficit for this year of s5.5G0. but the letter states that the receipt from delinquent taxes will probably wipe out that de- ilclency.
 Automobiles Will Help
 Thus. under the present conditions, there would be no funds for surveys or state nlSnNays, were u nOt tOt the new automobile tax. This leyies g. on all automobiles not exceeding 40 horsepower, Sl0 on all over 70 horse power, $2 on all motorcycles and g. for all chauffeurs operating machines for hire. It is expected this tax. which win begin to be avail able September I5. will produce $l5,- 900. which will be added to the gen eral road fund, be available for sur veying and engineering work. and will enable state highway building to be continued. still giving to each county it's Q per cent of the tax lev jed within it's boundaries
 It is further clear that there Is DO general fund for expenditure in those counties which need state as- sistance for continuation Of any state highway work outside of the portion directly provided for it by law
 Total Funds Available
 In addition to the state highway fund of s250.0e0 which win be spent this year. the county road taxes will provide for county road building in each county. and Mir. Cobb estimates