Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-23
COLEMAN IN FAVOR OF
1O-CEAT ROAD LEVY
Outlines His Views to Senator Cool
rick and Delegate
Brown.
AID ANTICIPATED
Tells OF Inquiries OF War Depart
mcnt as to States Plans for Per-
mancnt Roads Connecting Canton-
mcnts With Washington.

| State Highway Commissioner George
/ p Coleman yesterday sent to state
Senator 4. O'Conor Goodrich and Dele
gate J. Sinclair Brown the following
statement of his view OF as 20 tho most
economical and efficient way to con-
struct the new system of state high
| ways:
AT your request. 7 beg to submit my
views as TO the immediate needs and
I the future policies which ] believe
will most economically and efficiently
| promote tho construction of The State
! Highway system"
! F'irst-iinmcdiatc needs for 1918:
(a) Funds for operating Highway
/ Department. approximately. S39.500.
tb) State money aid for class L roads.
| s2oo.o00.
(c) For convict labor, 100000.
! fd) To meet Federal aid funds ac
| crYed s225. 900; and TO meet Federal aid
funds for 1918. 100000; total. s525,o0o.
fe) The counties own the machinery
with which the convicts are being
worked. and we contemplate using
some of the above funds with which
10 purchase road building and labor
saving machinery with which to work
tho convict labor. The counties will
other roads. and. therefore. this ma
chincry will not be available for the
| state system.
CD We received yesterday, COM
munications from the Federal depart
! inent OF agriculture, which handles road
work for the national government. re-
qucSting us to advise what steps the
State of Virginia would take in the
| Improvement and construction, on &C
count of military necessities. of the
roads from Washington to Richmond,
Richmond to Newport News. Richmond
to Petersburg and Petersburg to Nor
! folk.
| These communications come at the
request OF the War Department. We
do not know. of course, how far the
! War Department will be willing to go
| in participating in the construction OF
! these roads. war measure but, we
| believe, the construction of these roads
I may be an accomplished fact, II the
Legislature places the department in
! position to make a fair proposition to
| the Federal government.
In order to meet tho requirements in
the construction of the State highway
system within n reasonable time.
! believe we'll defined pcrma nent policy
! should be inauSurated. This depart
ment has recommended to tho Governor
and to the General Assembly, the lay
ing of a special levy for state highway
construction purposes. We have sug-
Eested 10-cent levy. The many sd-
vantages OF such a levy and perman cnt
| policy over policy of special appro-
priations covering two-year periods.
| mentioned:
| (a> The State Highway Commission
! would thereby be placed in n position
to determine upon and announce to the
people OF he State definite plan to-
| wards which tho people might look
forward. The counties could then plan
their local work accordingly.
! fh) The department could plan the
work FOR years In advance. let con-
tracts at the most favorable sea sons
OF theyear and running over n number
! OF years. IL advisable; Materials could
| be contracted for when prices apoearod
| TO be lowest. for future deliveries. and
in larger quantities. The organization
OF the department. and of the construc-
ton work could he planned so as to CT
icct economical and efficient admins
trs ton.
tc) The members OF Congress inter
csted in road appropriations have indi-
| Gated to the State highway officials
that much larger appropriations may
be expected from the Federal Con-
grcss as soon SO the States are In a
position to NICE the same. and we have
been asked to Indicate what Virginia
will do in the matter. VIC cannot mako
any stateme nt worth w;>i;e unless the
state adopts permanent policy 20
| which we can noint in support OF our
approximations.
| Wo are led 10 believe that these an.
=
100000 per year to Virginia. II n ma
jority Of the States put their highway
depar tmcnts in position to encourage
such appropriations from Congress.
| I'D \ 10 cents levy on all classes
OF property will produce an annual
fund OF sl.c27.0oo. which would in
crease some each year, and which. in
| three years, would be S1,500.00o and
with such fund and the convIcts and
| Federal aid funds, we could so ahead
and build the State highway system in
| Il reasonable time, and, / believe, much
moro satisfactorily 10 tho people OF
tho State than we could under Il two
year appropriation policy. with a con-
tinual uncertainty as 10 what to expect
| from each succeeding Legislature.
IL tho General Assembly does not
SEQ fit TO adopt this permanent policy,
then our Immediate necessities for 1919
will be: for convict labor, s250,OOo:
department expenses. $4,000; class b
| roads, 100000; TO meet Federal funds
$4,000.