The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1915-08-25

cost of maintenance ought not to be
great, for few years, and in any
event, it would be easier to maintain |
a good road than a bad one. When
counties have good roads they manage
to keep them up, and find it profta-
BILE to do so. There is no reason why
we should be an exception.
If any progress is made in road
building it is just as easy to maintain
the roads under bond issue as by APP
plying the annual taxes and State
road fund to the construction of
small piece of road each year. The
advantage is rather in favor of good
roads at once. thus lessening the task
of maintenance.
With bond issue of S125,00O what
would be the ratio of the country's
wealth to its Indebtedness?
1t would be about the same as that
of man owning ten thousand dol
lar farm contracting debt of $3.50 to
buy clover seed, or building a silo or
barn.
Didn't Green and Taylor counties
get into trouble over a bond Issue?
Yes, but the circumstances were
very different from bond issue under
the road law.
In the first place their issue was
twice as large or more in each county
as is proposed here
In the second place, their bonds
were issued and turned over to cor
poration, which sold the bonds and
collected the money. The counties
had nothing to do with the sale of the
bonds or the collection or expenditure
of the money.
They defaulted, and have had con-
siderable trouble in their efforts to
avoid payment-but, so far, they have
succeeded in their efforts.
At the same time, Marion county,
as we remember, issued bonds to the
amount of 100000 to the same road.
Under wiser management, it created
sinking fund, paid its bombs, and
while doing so built pixies in all parts
of the county, the county contrib
uting to their construction from $500
to 81, 600 per mile.
Green and Taylor have certainly
: been very much benefited by the
: building of the road to the county
seats.
r If we vote bonds, our issue would on.
, ly be for $685. 900. One-half of this
| with the accrued interest the State
agrees to pay back to the county, so,
} we will in fact, put into the roads
SCI, 500.
d Under the road law, we do not turn
our bonds over to corporation. We
sell them ourselves, and for face value
and whenever a bond goes out, its face
value in good money, comes into the
D county treasury. The holder of the
= bond then has our obligation, and We
/ have his money. We put that money
3 in good roads, and every body is ben
Gifted thereby. The money is spent liz
!, our midst, almost every dollar Of it,
and at the end the money is here plus
the good roads. If good roads are
worth any thing we are just that
much better off than we were before
Then good roads will invite capital tt
. the county; farmers will come to buy
our lands, as they came to Taylor
9 county when the railroad was built
/ and they will assist US in liquidatine
: the bonds and building up the county
i. materially.
Does the law safeguard the con
tracts for road building?
: Yes, contracts pass the scrutiny Of
the Fiscal court, and also the State
Road Commissioner, and after a roao
is built, certain per cent, of the con
? tract price is with held for a year in
S order that it may be certain that the
9 contractor has done his duty.