The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1913-06-25
COLEMAN ON THE ROADS
The Supervisor From the Fifth Dis.
trict Discusses Question and
Gives His Reasons.

Editor Leader:-Having been
fully convinced that the people are
being misled as to cost of good
roads it built, ask permission
through your paper. to give my
views on additional levy. should 30
miles Of road be built to each dis
trict. ! am a firm believer in the
people knowing the facts and each
man then expressing how he stands
OF the question by his ballot; or,
in other words, vote his sentiment.
Some say our taxes would only
be increased one and a half or two
mills. This is utterly unreasona-
BILE. Some. ! hear, make this ar
gument, who are educated men,
too. wonder if they are actually
honest. or are they just after fool
ing the people into the expense. !
consider the present one of the
darkest times that the farmers of
this county have ever passed
through. Practically, there has
been a failure in a money crop for
two or three years. and prospects
not much better this year.
am going into figures and facts
for District No. s.; while District
No. 2 and No. 8 are in about the
same condition. No. A is in better
shape by far, according to assess
ment roll, No. a having nearly as
much personal property assessed to
it as the other three districts COM
bined.
Now, we of District No. 5 pay
out about $3.450 per year under
present contract system. OF this
amount only about $1,700 is paid
IN by the people of District 5.
The first job, as | understand,
when We 60 into separate road dis
trict, is to 60 to work and raise
the other $1.7OO, or thereabout.
Well, $5 communication tax is as
high as you can 60 on that part,
SO So or $3.50 at outside is all we
can count on paying no commuta-
tion tax incur district. So, we
can't possibly expect over $500 ad-
ditional raise in that way. So it
will take about two mills addition
al on our property, to get up money
to work as we are now doing.
Now comes forthe additional
thirty miles of good roads, a bond
issue of $50, 900.
Suppose we can sell those bonds
at 5 per cent, which we failed to
do on the last $4,000 sold for
District No. /. The interest the
first year would be at per cent,
S4. 500. The law provides these
bonds be sold to mature in twenty
five years. and for sinking fund to
be levied by the Board of Super
visors to take care of them.
Now. levy tax on the people
sufficient to set aside one twenty
fifth part Of the $50, which is
small enough to levy. That would
be So, 600 dollars. Now, under
present system, we will owe So. 400:
Interest on ninety thousand. $4. 900;
One twenty-ffth partof bond issue,
So, 600; total for Dist. No. 5. first
year. S1l, 500; so You can see we
are face to face with q proposition
|of raising $l1.500 against what
we have actually been paying
81. 700.
Now the valuation of our proper
ty is about $3.50 900. so one mill
would equal $3.50; ten mills would
equal SIS, 500 dollars; fourteen mills
would bring $500. We need
S9. 800 the first year. Our s5 COM
mutation tax would just about
bring US up to what we would have
to have; SO, if the people in our
district are willing to about double
their taxes just to build thirty
miles Of road, all ! want them to
do il to say SO BY their ballot. after
understanding the facts, which |
think they should On all questions.