The Sentinel=record., 1914-02-03

County Judge Robert II. Mooney believes that by taking advantage of an act of the last legislature. which gives counties the right to form them selves into an improvement district. thereby removing previous consti- tutional barrier and making it nossi. ble for Garland county to take care Of three much discussed projects in this respect, the ocean-to-ocean high. way, the road to Little Rock and good road to the end of the county line towards Ma. Ida, the question of good roads can be solved in this coun ty
 This act provides for the crcula tion of a petition, which however must contain a majority per cent of the land owners in the county. after which it is presented to the county court for consideration. and, provid ed it is passed on favorably an o-dof is issued creating the improvement district Three commissioners are appointed who serve for term of six years and the improvement district then takes on the same status as any corporation
 Judge Mooney stated that he beliey ed the issuing of bonds by a district of this nature, comprising Garland county. would enable that security 10 sell on the market at par value, and that from $l5o00o 10 $20O,000 could he realized in this respect
 "T would he glad to assist the peo pie of Hot Springs in a project of this nature7 said Judge Mooney "for l am of the firm belief that it will solve the good road question in Garland county and enable us to have good roads to the county line. With a fund of s150 000 or S200,000 there could h at least 200 miles of excellent roac built. Think what that would mean for Hot Springs I think that meet ing should be called to consider this proposition and were such a petition circulated, and provided it contained a majority per cent of the landoWn CTS of the county would recognize it and issue the order to form the i'm aroyemcnt district The new law re moves what had heretofore been constitutional barrier, and l know of no county that would be more bene- fitted by good roads than Garland county Certainly it would be of great and material benefit to the city proper"
 Judge Wooney said of the road sit, uation:
 Under the present system of rais- ing money for road construction, that is by levy not to exceed three mills upon the dollar upon taxable proper ty, this county can never have good roads such as modern times require and demand The fund produced in this manner is entirely inadequate for the purpose.
 This county has about five nun dred miles of public road to keep in repair. The three mill tax which is the maximum allowed by the consti tuition produces only about thirty thousand dollars annually, which fl disbursed equally on all roads in the county amounts to the small sum oi sixty dollars per mile Until the passage of Act. No 325 of the Genera Assembly of 1913 no way was pro vided by law by which counties might issue interest bearing bonds for con structiou of public highways
 Under this Act counties may form themselves into Road Improve ment Districts by petition to the County court signed by a majority in value of the land owners of the coun ty. The District when so formed elects three directors who are em- powered to raise funds by bond issue, the bonds to bear interest not to eX ceed eight per cent, and to let con tracts for he building of public high ways This is the solution to the road problem in Garland county and the only one