The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1919-04-24
ARGUMENT IN FAVOR OF THE GOOD
ROADS AMENDMENT TO THE CON-
STITUTlON OF THE STATE OF
OKLAHOMA.
BUILD REAL ROADS RIGHT now.


ment to tho Constitution OF Oklahoms
locates a statewide trunk line systom
Of hard surfaced roads connecting pv
cry county seat and all the principa
market places In the state. Thirty
eight and onc.half percent OF the tota
acreage OF the State IL within three
miles OF the proposed roads. Fully
seventy percent OF our population re-
side within four miles OF the roads and
better transportation facilities are af
forded to our entire citizenry.
Oklahoma needs these roads now
and the only way In which they can b0
built Immediately is through state
bond issue sufficient In amount sup
plemented by Federal aid appropria'
tions TO construct the entire system.
The Federal government has adopted
the policy OF matching dollar for dol.
lar with the various states IN the con.
truction OF such roads. II has already
appropriated for that purpose S275,'
900. 900 s75,00O.OO0 IN 1916 and In
1919 5000. .000. 900. Oklahoma's share OF
these appropriations is about S6,000.'
900. II will take from five to seven
years to Coriplete the system OF roads
proposed. and II Ia practically certain
that before the expiration OF that per.
ioA Oklahoma's share OF Federal aid
appropriations will amount to at least
$40. 900. 600. and In all probability many
millions more than that amount.
There are about 1910 miles OF road
designated In the Amendment. II
will require about so. o.ooO. 900 to pay
for the construction theteof. The
tonA issue OF $50. .000, ,00G supple.
msnted by Federal aid appropria.
tion Of S2o. 1000. 900 will provide the
o70. .o00, 900 necessary to meet the cost
Of the entire system. The entire sys.
tom will be built, Nobody will be dis.
appointed In not getting the roads de-
sisnated on the map.
Building good roads is the best IN.
vestment any state can make. No state
has ever been successful In the con
stTuction OF roads except on the bond
Issue plan. This is the modern bust.
ness method OF financing, The great
Industrial and financial enterprises Of
the country have bee n built and main-
tainsd on borrowed money. No bonds
cen he sold under the Amendment un.
III and only as the money Is needed to
Pay the cost Of construction. No In.
tsrest on any bonds will begin to run
until they are sold. Therefore. no In.
terest will begin to run on any bonds
until the construction work has pro.
creased to the time when the cost
thereof must be paid. and then only
on the amount actually invested in
the construction.
The Commission can not incur an
Indebtedness during the first year AZ.
ter authorization In excess OF So, 900.
600; nor In excess OF SIC. 10000 dur.
ing the first two years. not in excess
of sS0,000.o00 during the first three
years. Neither can the Commission
cell bonds during any one OF such pc.
ricds In excess OF the indebtedness
authorized to be incurred during such
period, and II may sell only q suf.
cient number and amount of bonds
TO provide a sufYicient sum TO pay the
construction cost that In due. The In.
tersst on outstanding bonds will range
from $4,000 a year TO not to exceed
$3.50 900, and will amount In the az.
GreEate 20 about s2s, 500, 900. The
bonds are to be retired At the rate of
s2.ooo,ooo each year, beginning Au.
gust lst, 1920.
The Constitutional limit OF three and
cne-hslf mills ad valorem tax for all
state purposes will not be affected by
the adoption OF the Amendment. This
Constitutional limit is fixed by Sec.
lion . Of Article 10 Of the Constitu.
tion. The Amendment specifically
provides that nothing herein contain.
ed shall he construed TO affect or alter
the provisions OF Section 3 OF Article
10 OF this Constitution"
There is no other plan by which the
road system outlined in the amend.
mont can be built under seventeen
years, and the probabilities are strong
that the entire system can never be !
built in any other way than by State |
bond issue, II the Legislature should
appropriate ss,0000o0 year for II
years. II woald only produce for road !
the sum OF s5i. .00O. .0Cg. |
The money appropriated each year
san not be spread over the entire sys.
lsm, but must be spent In some par.
ocular locality 10 be designated by
he Legislature, the Commissioner Of |
highways or some Commission pro.
'fded by the Legislature. The first
appropriation would be spent in that i
ocslsty having the strongest political
uli with the locating authority ana