The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1912-06-21
MORE ABOUT THAT BOND ISSUE
Blltchton. Fla. June Is, 1912.
Mr. Fred Magaw. ocala. Fla:

NHth aAttNtts III idNor Oh StdT ling
fund for the purpose of getting the
matter before the people, and in the
first article you offered fifty dollars
toward the fund In favor of bond is
sue. I will see your fifty dollars and
raise you one hundred for funds
against a bond issue.
Mr.. Magaw. you seem good on fig
ures. Now here is your proposition:
Bond the county for one million dol
lars. and let It run for thirty years at
s per cent. interest. When IL has run
for ten years we will have to pay
one million and half; twenty years,
two millions, and when the bonds ma
ture we will have to hand over two
and a half million dollars for the
pleasure Of spending one million in
two years.
No, Mr. Magaw, it won't work
worth a cent. Neither do | believe
you viii enlist the board of trade on
your side. The board is composed of
good business men and heavy tax
payers In this county, and have been
for years.
Now, Mr.. Magaw how long have
you been paying taxes in this county?
OR. maybe you have not been here
Tong enough to help in the good
cause That Is usually the case, any
way; the men who do not pay taxes,
or only a very small amount, do the
agitating.
Mr. Magaw, you ask what was the
assessors valuation on that S0-acre
farm out here? 1t was not farm
at all. just so acres of virgin timber,
and could not have been purchased
for less two years ago. The gentle
man who sold the tract of land re-
ferred 10 owns three thousand acres,
more. or thereabout, and has been
and is still paying his axes, which
he has been doing for fifty years or
more
Now. Mr.. Magaw. l have never
tried TO get something for nothing,
nor have | or anyone else tried to
keep the commissioners out of funds.
They seem TO go along and spend
money monthly on hard roads, and
the dirt roads out here are and have
been neglected for a long time, and
what authority they have for borrow
ing ! do not know, unless it is an old
established precedent. set years ago.
Possibly you can enlighten me on the
matter.
MIR. Magaw, you say the commits
sloners spend annually 100000 on
good roads, and the roads can be fin
ished up for $4,000 per mile. Twice
thirty is sixty. so you see thirty
mills a year ought to satisfy the peo-
pie of Marion county, don't you think
so?
You certainly scored one when you
referred to the hire of a competent
engineer and that he be paid well
and held responsible for the work
done. | disagree with you, however,
In regard to no one being held re-
ever work for a salary? / have, and
was held responsible for the work en-
trusted to me. Well, you know we
have FIVE coounty commissioners hir-
ed and we are paying them we'll for
theft services, and it is their duty to
go over the roads and receive or re-
ject the work done, and so far the
good people of Marion have been
quite lenient with the commissioners,
for We think they are nice lot of
gentlemen. But. to be frank with you,
roads that attention they should have.
Score two: Contract the roads and
have them built according TO specifi-
cations, and let that good engineer
you and l have employed supervise
the whole system. and let the work
30 slow and build about fifteen miles
of hard road per year for twenty
years. Then we will have 500 miles
more of good roads, and save 100000
per annum to pay of the old indebt-
edness of the county, and keep up
what roads we now have and build
during the time they are being built.
never did like to rush things, and
20 take it slow as l have suggested
will materially reduce the old debt
and with the increase in taxable prop
erty that naturally will come will
soon set our finances o. X, once
more
So far as the balance of your ar
tiele is concerned, the general mix
up of figures produced will let others
who are interested solve them.
never did like TO work on interest