Evening star., 1919-09-21
PROPOSE 40 MILES
OF BETTER ROADS
Improved Routes to Rich
mond Sought by Counties
to Aid Marketing.

RICHMOND, Va. September 20
Residents of this city. the business
interests. have united with the peo-
pie of Essex county in a determina-
ton to have a highway that will
open up that section of>Virginia for
trade relations with Richmond. Res
idents Of King William. King and
Queen, Essex and Middlesex assem-
bid at Rappahannock in a mass
meeting and took steps to have this
road built From Richmond to Tap
pahannock the distance is about sew
enty miles by one road and sixty-hve
by another. The actual distance is
about forty miles. Four hours hard
driving are consumed in making the
trip. the roads in places being very
poor. The proposed improved high
way will be forty miles long and Will
be an airline. Business men say that
the trade of that section will De
worth $25,000.000 year to Richmond.
Instructions have been issued by
the state corporation commission to
the telephone companies in this state
to reduce their rates to the same ng-
ures obtaining before the government
restoration Of rates is November 1.
Pending before the commission Is the
application OF the Chesapeake and
Potomac company for an advance
over the existing rates-those fixed
by Burleson. The city of Richmond
Is expected that sooner or later the
other cities also will come in and re-
sist the increase.
Law Is Revenue Producer.
The books at the office of the audi
tor of public accounts show that there
has been paid by the prohibition de-
partment to the state for the fiscal
year which will end September 30
about $s5.o0o. This comes from con-
fiscations of liquor machines and con-
tainers. This is SIS, 900 more than the
department costs the state to operate
for an entire year. 1t is believed that
when the books are closed by. the
several county officers and complete
settlements made the department will
pay about 100000 to the state, or
double its cost for rigid enforcement
Of the laws of the state. The claim is
still being made that the prohibition
department is weakening the schooi
system and preventing an increase In
salaries of teachers. The fines and
confiscated sales go to the school fund
Death is rapidly thinning the ranks
of the Confederate veterans, and those
in the Confederate Home here are
crossing the river in large numbers.
For the first time since the home was
opened, more than forty years ago,
there is room at the disposal Of the
veterans. With capacity of little
more than 800, there has been re-
duction Of one-sixth Of that number
since the first OF the year. A few
years more and the property now oc.:
cupied by the home will be converted
to purposes Of the state, the title
having passed several years ago..
Several weeks ago the Renters and
Consumers Association arranged Tor
a complete supply Of, GOAL for the
members of the association. The coal
was of good quality, and it was to be
sold to the consumers at a saving OF
Is per cent of the. prices charged by
the dealers. The agents OF the asso-
citation were booking orders in a
hurry and saw that they were in for
a great business. They wrote to ask
how much coal the company would be
able to serve, and in a day or two
thereafter were informed that the en-.
tire output Of the mine had been sold
to a local dealer, and that the COM
pany would be unable to furnish the
coal to the association. The letters
carrying all the negotiations and
agreements are in the possession Of
the officers, and they may be placed
before the federal grand jury.