The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-10-23

land Ky, is being supplied with gas
for factory purposes at 6 cents, al
though that city is some - miles.
or more. from Huntington. Thu"
stock took n boom on the local mar
kot and none Of il is for sale at par,
and factories by the dozen have since
located at Huntington.
The latest suggestion Of Mr.. Watts
to the Chamber Of Commerce OF
Huntington is in behalf of good
roads, subject in which the entire
state is becoming very generally in
tcrcsted and his plan is to tax the
gas production in the state cent
per thousand feet and apply the tax
to the building Of good roads.
The state OF West Virginia now
leads all other states IN the produc'
ton of gas. There has been much
discussion Of plan to conserve tho
natural gas Of this state and induce
manufacturers to locate their fac.
tories within our borders to con-
Sumr it and to that end law has
been suggested to tax all gas going
out of the state. This plan seems to
have been abandoned on the ground
of its unconstttutionality.
According to Mr.. Watts, We arc
now sending ont Of the state twenty
five times as much gas as We use
within the state, all the neighh0rInE
states being benefited thereby. The
gas production in this state last
year was 939,0SS, 0GS,OOO cubic feet
with a cash value Of s@3,"49,02l.
The proposed tax on this amount
would amount to $2,@90,SS0, or
enough money raised in one year to
Duild Macadam road from IlarpCr's
Ferry to Parkcrsburg with some
money to spare. In two years a
Mucadam turnpike could be built
from east to west through the state
and crossed with q similar line from
north to south. In five years tim"
enough money could be raised TO give
West Virginia one of the best good
road systems in the entire country.
4 state system Of roads is the only
nlan that will be worth while. Ger
tain communities will I've grratly
benefited by local road building
such us FairmOnt district proposes
to do with II $4OO,000 bond iSru
that has been voted. but tn" real
rrrluaurut benefits to the State as 4;
whole will NOT be- realized until til"
different sections of the entire state
are cOnncrI"d by permanent road
system. making travel as sure in one
season of the year as another.
Other states are doing this by
bond issues. New York has provided
$luu.nU0 ,0nO. Pennsylvania $5O,0"n
mao, California $%6,000.o00, and
other states have set similar exam"
plcs, and in June. 1872, the Farmers
Free Press 0l this city. IN Il A-pTgG
article, advocated state bond ISSUE
oC $4,000, 900 (it should haze hCcE
$40. 0nO, 5000 to build good road"
across the state from east to vest
and from north to south, providing
also fund for lateral construction
nv counties which are not able l."
provide all the money necessary to
build their own roads. but OIl"Ii'.S
them an indictment by having the
state furnish half the money needed
This idea could also he carried out
Ivy the state with the proceeds nom
the tax on gas.
With the plan suggested by. Mr.
Watts we would have SOmCthln" NJ
Il permanent nature left to cnmprn-
sL,c us for our natural gas after it Is.
zone. with the present system "t
marketing the gas outside 0l IN"
state we are not bringing factories
to us hut taking our gas to the Iarl"-
RIGS ana the product will soon be con-
sumrd with nothing but tn" memory
Of the fact that we once led in nat
uraI gaS production LETT to show for
it.
If We send out twenty-five times
as much gas as We consume we can
build one mile of road from the mon
cy furnished by our own citizens by
. gas tax and build "a miles from
money contributed by outsiders. 1t
looks like a twenty-five 10 one shot
for West Virginia and tho idea Will
no doubt be fruitful of practical re-
suits.
INCREASE SHOWN