The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1915-06-10
BETTER ROADS A NECESSITY.

Mr. Roy C. Smith, the Bradley bank.
er. gave the business men of Chicka.
sha "A good sized chunk of food for
thought in his talk at the banquet
Tuesday evening.
II you want any business from our
part of the county you will have to i'm,
prove the roads, said Mr.. Smith, who
further stated that the highways be-
tween here and his section of the
county are such as to make travel very
difficult.
What Mr.. Smith said about the roads
from Chickasha to Bradley might be
said with equal truth concerning the
lines Of communication between the
county seat and other sections.
Mr.. Ben Johnson also made few
remarks which should set the business
men OF Chickasha to thinking on thu,
subject. He paid fine compliment
to the citizens Of Pocasset, declaring
that they had improved the roads
around their town till they were draw
ing trade from great distance.
The good roads question is by no
means q novel topic Of discussion. The
newspapers have agitated it and it has
been talked and talked till it would
seem that there Is litrie more left 10
be said about it, But after all this
vast volume Of con ar alton conditions
remain about the me. The squirt o.
enthusiasm which Is generated now
and then generally dies down before
any concrete results are obtained.
That better roads are necessary /,
we are to make Chickasha the import
ant center of retail trade which ia
should be is not open to question. A
comprehensive plan Of road improve
ment must be devised and we must
enter upon it with the determination
not to let up till it is reduced to the
stage of actuality.
The new law enacted by the last leg
islature opens the way for road build
ing but it does not operate automati-
cally. This law should be carefully
studied by committee OF our business
men with a view to determining how
to proceed in order to receive the ben
efits that are possible under it.
Concerning this law. Walter Gilbert,
secretary of the state department of
highways, says;
Communities must not expect that
they can be placed in Immediate oper-
alton so far as actual construction is
concerned. There is much preliminary
work to be done, work. however.
which viii be considerably fastened
due TO the efforts which have been
made during the past four years to dc.
fine tentatively state highways along
the routes OF the least resistance, com
bined with service to most people.
THE state will set aside fourth
Of mill for every county and Will
hold it in trust until the time when the
county raises an equal amount for road
building. For instance, if the state has
in trust from this fourth of mill tax
$4,000 for any county. the said coun-
ty will by fourth Of mill tax raise
an additional sio,oca Aud then the de-
partment Of highways transfers totit
the ike amount held in trust.
Under the increased mills allow
ed by the state. every county can
levy for all purposes 8 mills instead Of
6. This means that ii will be possible
for the several counties to aggregate
se,Ooo,ooo per year for road building
purposes. e
Apart from about $4,000 derived
from the auto license for maintenance.
every township is authorized under
this new bill to levy an additional 2
mills for dragging roads. This means
nearly s2.oo0.Qoo per annum mainten
anra