Weekly journal-miner., 1915-02-03
ROAD LAWS NEED
 FIXING SAYS NORRIS
(From Wednesdays Daily.1

N AOAlA W hAlSSNG1 LJdlly
 Asked what would be the particular
 program at the coming state good
 roads convention in Phoenix. T. G.
 Norris, president of the State Assoc
 iation. replied that it would be the
 devising Of some feasible plan where
 by the roads of Arizona could be
 looked after i'll the best possible man
 ner, everything considered. The at
 tention Of Mir. Norris was called to
 the bill introduced in the house
 amendatory of the present law
 which, if passed would give each county ninety instead of seventy
 five cents of every dollar raised by road taxation for use in the county
 where the tax was collected, and he was asked how such a measure suit
 ed him. Very we'll" he replied, but
 l am in favor of still further amend
 ment of the same law providing that, at the direction of the state tax con- mission, a road tax levy of from twen-
 ty-five to thirty cents on each hun
 dred dollars valuation can be made, At the present time S250,000 is raised
 annually for road building in this
 state. and anyone knows that this is
 a mere bagatelle compared to the
 needs. If we had law which was
 flexible in its operation so the tax
 commission could take advantage of
 helping the road fund in years when it
 was deemed eXpedient and when it was felt that fhe business and indus trial conditions Of the state would warrant, 1t would be an easy matter to place the roads of the state and
 of every county on a maximum par with other states which believe in good roads as matter of economic invest ment. As it is, the matter of money is one continual bone of contention, and in the meantime the roads are going to piece and the welfare of a state which, above all others, needs the very best of roads to meet it's achievements and possibilities in other lines. is handicapped and prac- tically at standstill."
 Mir. Norris said that while he fav- ored the bond issue which was voted down in the state at the last election, he was not in the least peeved over the result, because he recognized that those opposed to it were inspired by motives of economy and were honest in their convictions. He al l so said he did not want to appear in | the light of favoring anything out side the lines of the greatest possi- | ble economy, commensurate with the | needs at the present time, and realiz- ed that there was a wave of economic feeling prevalent in the state at the present time which was commend able. But he thinks that, notwith- standing this, the state needs gen eral law which will enable the proper authorities to make road tax levies as they are needed, and the method proposed is, in his judgment, the best possible at this time. If the state tax commissioners were empowered to make road levies of the sort men tioned, he thinks they would be judicious and economical, whereas, under the present law, there is no re lief whatever from any condition which might arise. He talked of the value Of good roads to Arizona as state, situated as it is on the natural highway from the metropolitan east to the populous Pacific coast points which are the mecca of the travelling public at all sea sons of the year, saying that if we ever hope to occupy posi- ton which is attractive to tourists we must provide at least as good roads for them to travel over as : other state are providing, to say nothing of the great economic ad- rantages to be obtained by the peo- { ole who reside in the state.
 Mir. Norris looks for good at i tendance at the coming convention, ( Ind says there will be no attempt t made to do radical things, the object l being to arouse an added interest in | he general proposition of good i oad building in the state through T some permanent system which can l lc dcpended on year in and year out. l