The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-10
Good Roads Viewed s
AS An Investment
Tax Payer Gives Splendid Why Proposed Bond Issue
Should Garry

Fellow Citizens: Having been rails
ed in Polk county and being a tax
payer and citizen myself, / naturally
am interested in my county and her
to cost us, and as ] am only small
AS you know, our County Commits
sioners have called an election to
bond our county for $1,500,0O0 to
build good roads. This seems like a
lot of money to poor man, and |
hear the matter discussed on all
sides, and 4 find that the rich peo-
pie and biggest tax payers are for it
and most of those that are against
it are the smaller tax payers and
some that pay no tax at all, One
man would tell me that it was the
best thing we could possibly do for
ourselves and our county and another
man would tell me it was the worst
thing we could do and that it would
ruin US and our children paying
taxes before we ever got rid of those
bonds. So after hearing both sides
of the question man hardly knows
what is best to do.
l suppose nearly all of us think
good roads would be fine thing to
have over our county. But what |
mont In kpnn, and yUbot WI, mopt m
know is how much this bond issue
and good roads proposition is going
to est us, and as | am only small
taxpayer and not a rich man, and
having to work for my money, | de-
cided that ] would investigate this
matter and do little figuring for
myself and see who was right before
voted on it, so | have looked up
records and figures in the matter and
will tell you that have found out.
From the tax collectors books for
this year I find that the total valua-
tion is $14,S00, 900, and the county
commissioners have levied mills for
road purposes, which gives $4,000.
The county also gets from auto Ii
cense about $6,2S9. The labor from
the county convicts is valued at $685.
600 by the county commissioners
that is spent to build and keep up the
roads as they are built now, and not
much road in some places either.
The interest on $1,5O0,O0O at
per cent will be $4,000 per year,
and $4,000 sinking fund set aside
each year at 4 per cent. interest COM
pounded semi--annually will pay off
the bonds in 25 years, making total
of 100000 per year to pay off the
bonds with interest after we get the
roads built. On the present valua-
ton and rate this would leave us
$47,289 per year towards keeping up
these roads after they are built, or
building of other good roads to link
them up.
Deduct from this if you want to
the value of the convict labor, $685.
600 and we still have left $22,289
Some say they might have to in
crease the millage mills, but I, for
one, don't believe it, but admitting 1t
let's figure 1t out. Now, how much
would this raise of 3 mills cost you
and me per year in dollars and cents?
Our total rate this year is 32 mills,
add mills for good roads and we
will have total of .35 mills or a
raise Of one-tenth In other words,
If my tax was $40, with this raise it
would be $33; or if it was $40, with
increase it would be $11, raise of
81. Take the amount of taxes you
pay and for every dollar add ten
cents and you will see what it would
cost you.
The small taxpayer would pay on
an average of not over $40, then this
increase would mean to him 50 more,
when with the good roads if he had