The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-12-29
WHY TAXPAYERS
SHOULD VOTE BONDS
FOR GOOD ROADS
CBy A. ]. Holworthy, Secy.. Good
Roads Association.

The taxpayers of Polk county are
now being called upon to pay their
taxes for the current year. In this
tax It included the millage for the
road and bridge fund which will
amount to little over 100000.
How is this sum of money going to
be spent? Following the custom
which has prevailed in Polk county
during the years that have gone by
the commissioners would build few
miles of sand-clay road, similar to
the hard surfaced roads of that type
which we now have. but the greater
part of this 100000 is needed for
the repairs urgently called for on
these same hard surfaced roads,
some of them not two years old
How are we going to get a system of
eood hard-surfaced highways in Polk
county in this manner? In the last
ten years half million dollars have
been spent in Polk county, accord
ing t. figures furnished by the COM
missiorers' office. for road building
and repairs. During this same ten
years We have at times, when q new
piece Of sand-clay road has been con-
structed and considered by some to
be the best ever, had a feeling that
the solution to our good roads prob
lem was in sight and that in a few
years we should have a network Of
them in the county, but, from this
point of view, we are as far off as
ever During this same ten years we
have been waiting for a connection
from the North to the South and
West The roads in the northeast
end OF the county, supposed to serve
the purpose of connecting the link
between Osceola and Hillsborough,
have been joke until now the
ing upon the question very seriously.
Polk county, SO far as the road ques-
the northern counties, and travellers
are being warned daily to avoid Polk
county These same thinking men
have come to the conclusion, and,
thank goodness, have convinced the
county commissioners that the old
method OF road building, as well as
the type of construction, is unsat-
isfactCry and eXtravagant. If even
the sand-clay road was good and
economical road for Polk county,
, which il is not, the taxpayers are
demanding roads NOW, in this pres
ent generation, and, by any method
OF so-called direct taxation they see
no ray of hope on the horizon of the
future in which they are interested
! promising to ease the heavy burden
they are called upoa to carry every
day, mentally as we'll as physically
worrying over the bad conditions OF
the country roads. If the peope of
Polk county We're less than human
and each district in the county would
| yield their claim to immediate relief
! in favor of the other, it might be
possible for this road construction To
20 on slowly year by year, until some
| time in the future which does not
! appeal to a large majority of us, the
needed roads could be built by the
tax levied annually for that purpose
| building only SO much road each
| year from that years taxes as would
! be available after allowing for nee
essary repairs on roads already con
| structcd For instance, if the tax
| payers along the Coast Line between
lIaincs City, Lake Alfred, Auburn
| dale, Lakeland and the EIillsborough
| county line would be kind enough to
wait for a hardsurfaced road
! through this section until the Dixie
! Highway could be constructed out of
/ the annual road taxes, and the tax
4 payers along the ridge between
4 IIaincs City and Frostproof would
cont"n' themselves with what is now
4 called road traversing that fast
! developing territory until the IIaines
! City-Lakcland road could be con-
/ structed, and the taxpayers along
i the other highways would be content
to stand back and wait until other
/ road than theirs were built, II
would be possible in time for Polk
cOdnty to have a system of hardsnr-
faced roads. without borrowing any
money; in other words without a
bond election In this same way the
Atlantic Coast Line and other rail
roads could have avoided borrowing
money and by using their earnings
year by year could .omo time (per-
hans have extended their lines
through the State, but any man with
brain, knows that none Of these rail