Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-05-04
MIR. Miller on Good Roads.
ARCADIA, Mo-, April 81, 1916


Dear Editor IA short time ago /
was in Piedmont, Mo-, and while there
learned that the 100000 90 bond issue
of Wayne County for the building Of
crushed limestone roads, on which
they will vote on the 29th of this
month, would not increase the taxes
any.
Thinking if this is SO, it would be a
mighty good thing for Iron County to
do the same, and Immediately wrote
to the County Clerk of Wayne Coun-
ty for information on this subject and
received the following reply:
GREENvILLE, Mo-, April is, 1916.
Louis Miller, Jr, Arcadia, Mo.
Dear Sir--In reply to yours of re-
cent date inquiring as to how we
could pay off the proposed bond issue
for road purposes without increasing
our taxes materially, will say, that we
figure that an average rate of SOC levy
on the $4,000 valuation during the
life Of the bonds will take care of the
accrued interest and retire per cent.
of the bonds each year. Now we have
been paying % cent rate ever
since the adoption of the Constitution
al amendment allowing us to do so,
4 so you see that we would only have to
raise an extra 5 cents on the $4,000
valuation to take care of the bonds
and interest as they fall due.
Besides, we have a six dollar poll
tax in this county, which we claim
can be cut to $500 if we had good
roads; so you see that this would on
the whole materially decrease the taxes
of the moderate property holder who
is poll tax payer. This will give you
an idea of the way we figure this out.
1t looks at present like the bond issue
will win.
Yours Truly,
SAM D. BRYAR, County Clerk.
This letter speaks for itself. We
have, as understand it, nearly the
same valuation as Wayne County, and
you all know what our road taxes are,
and / ask where are our roads? The
County Court is not to blame, as they
do the best they can, with the little
money they get hold Of. The only
way to build good permanent roads is
with large bond issue; but not only
do we need roads but we also badly
need bridges, and how can these be
built with the funds ordinary at the
disposal of the County Court?
st. Louis county recently voted to
issue $3,OOO,Oo0.0O in bonds to build
permanent roads, Jefferson County
$500, GOO 90 to build roads and bridges,
Wayne will be the next to vote on
this proposition, and why not Iron
County next? If the farmers could
understand that their farms would
double in value, that they could pull
twice the load in half the time ittakes
now, If they only had crushed lime
stone roads. I am sure two hundred
thousand bond. issue would easily
carry in this county, especially when
it would only increase the taxes &c
on the $4,000 valuation; why, it could
be made back in one day for the small
property holder, not counting the de-
creased poll tax.
A recent article in the st. Louis
Republic commenting on the Wayne
County bond issue, said that but for 10
miles OF road in Iron County, Wayne
County would have a continuous road
to st. Louis. Now when the Wayne
County issue carries, as it surely will
it will give one continuous road to st
Louis from Poplar Bluff, with the ex-
ception, Of course, of the almost i'm
passable roads OF Iron County, which
have no bridges, and nothing but hut
deep ruts.
The County Court of Jefferson Coun-
ty promised the voters that the money
would be divided between the various
townships in proportion to their as
sessed valuation, and our county
court could do no less than this; also
I feel sure they would assure the
people that only competent engineers
would be employed to design and
superintend the construction OF the
crushed limestone roads, and that
they, the County Court, would be
guided only in the. building Of these
roads by the expert advice Of these
engineers.
n The only way TO get the good roads
is to cali o special electionby petitions
to the County Court. Would like to