The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-27
Objects to Building of Camp
Branch Road by
Board
1.-TWO FAMILIES IN
ABOUT FOUR MILES"
Declares There Are Better Places to
Spend Road Fund of County.
Should Not Have Expected
Consideration, He Says

Stating that lie could not expect any
consideration at the hands of the board
Of revenue, J. 5. Montgomery sends an
other communication to The editor of The
Age-Herald. lie insists that the tax
payers of the county have a right to he
fully Informed as to the manner in which
the monies of the county are being ex-
pended and to know why the board of
revenue is building a new road which he
states Is neither desirable nor necessary.
The letter follows:
ITO the Editor of The Age-Herald:
ut does seem that the board of revenue
would answer the questions ! asked in my
letter published in your Sunday paper in
regard to road work in the country where
live, between the top of Shades noun
tain and the Cahaba river,
"on second thought, however I should
not expect any consideration of my ques-
tions when ! and my neighbors have been
shown so little consideration about work
on the roads in the neighborhood Of our
farms.
Important to Farmers
ut is of great Importance to us farm
ers how the board of revenue spends the
money we pay in for road tax Not only
is our daily living depending on the roads
to the market for our farm products, but
the value of our farms is also at stake.
with the eounty's limited money for
road work. every mile of new road built
where there are no houses, and people TO
be served means worse roads where farm
ers already live.
Il want your paper TO investigate this
convict work on Shades mountain and
show the public what is being done by the
board OF revenue with the convicts and
the road tax money. Can't your reporter
go to the board of revenue office and ask
to see the record where the board has au-
thorized the three and one-haf miles of
new road from Camp Branch northeast
ward right through the woods and hills
to the top of Shades mountain connecting
with the supposed 6 per cent road2 Then
have them show where the board put an
order on the records lnstructing this road
to be constructed, If these orders have
been made in regular way, then the two
members of the board who have shown
such an interest in this new road win be
benefited by the publication. If not tile
facts before them.
Il am farmer and don't know how
to dig into these records, even II the board
would allow me
Country Sparsely Settled
This three and one-half miles of new
road passes only two houses In one
house lives a man and daughter in the
other a man, wife and three children. Just
think of three and one-haf miles of road
being built through this wild. rough coun-
try while the board neeects the two
miles of present road that would answer
the same purposes of reaching Blrming-
ham even better than the new road.
'rhe only excuse have heard offered
for this three and one-half miles of new
road is to connect up the supposed per
cent road mp Shades mountain with the
Columbiana road, that the $4,000, or
whatever the county spent on this
crooked road will not be entirely wasted.
But there is no need throwing good money
after bad when there are 50 many miles
of good road already built that needs work
now before the fall and winter rains be-
gin.
"Supposing the board goes ahead and
builds this three and one-half miles from
Camp Branch? There will be only two
small families living between I,atham's
home north of Shades creek, in Shades
NalleS. ana camp Bfahcn, distance or
from four to five miles
MY neighbors and | are anxious that
the board issue statement IN regard to
this job and to also state If the road mp
Shades mountain called the 6 per cent
road. is really not more than 6 per cent
in some places. and tell US how our teams
would get into Birmingham as IT is nearly
impossible to come down the Twentieth
street road the north side of Red
mountain that has been cemented.
Won't you do your best to get an an
swer from the board and publish it, and
oblige2 Yours truly,
u. s. MONTGOMERY.
Birmingham, August 26, 1919"