The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-12-02


profit chiefly by the building Of these
roads are the automobile owners, the truck
owners. and the owners of all kinds of
power driven vehicles They should, in
our opinion, shoulder the greater part OF
the burden. ~
How may this be done? The most
equitable plan of which we have heard is
this: let every automobile owner in the
state pay as an annual license tax the fol-@
lowing amounts: ,one per cent. of the cost
OF his machine; one per cent in cash OF It's
weight in pounds, and one dollar per
horse power This would make the aver
age license tax on automobiles in the state
about sixty dollars, we imagine. This
: would not be excessive in view of the great
saving inifuel; dill and other things neces-
sary to make the car 60, in view Of the
saving to be had in the wear and tear on
tires, and most Of all in the saving of the
cars themselves. The suggestion made In
some quarters that car would run twice
as long on good roads as on poor roads IS
tenable, we believe. .,5. 3,
With license tax of sixty dollars per
car on every car in the state, we would
jcommefce next year with an income from
this source alone Of nearly four millions Of
: dollars With good roads being built the
number of cars would so increase that the
income from this source would quickly
grow to eight, and even ten millions il IS of Q
dollars annually But with the first years
income from the four mills tax and the In
come from the suggested license tax alone.
and not considering any Federal aid which
might be received, we would have five
millions of dollars for road building in
1920, a sufficient amount to build one of
the great highways suggested, and in five
years the four great highways across the
state would be completed. These roads
would be built Of such road materials as to
e make them lasting The roads should be
built of either asphalt Tor of vitrifed bricks
as the engineers thought most advisable.
But{they should be built to stay. ,Sg
- In the next five years after the through
highways are completed the connecting
roads. TO the county seats could be com
pleted.y The work cannot be done in q day,
and Wa believe we should pay as we go.S
We do not, believe that the state should be-,
bonded for an immense sum to build roads
ctonce which may be built in four or five
years; But we are not opposed to the
counties themselves, {When the roads into !
the cou..tt::es have been surveyed antici-
! pating the. work to be done by the state.
and building by bond issues parts Of this. I.
highway system with the understanding
that the license taxes and the property tax, S
q as SOON as the through highways are COM
!, T,pleted, shall be applied to the repayment
of the counties for all sums sol egpendad,
the sums returned in this way to be used
SYin the building of other roads Of like per
{ Elane nature in the several counties In
& this way road work in every county might
commence at once, and not be deferred. SIS Il
If we could build in Abbeville county by
the plan suggested, and by proper bond
issue, one hundred miles Of paved roads iii !.
ten years, BY keeping up the other roads
/. with the present levy for road bull ding, the I
! roads in Abbeyille county would be all that
anybody could desire.
But we are opposed now and we shall
continue tooppose any effort on the part
@of anybody to put q bond issue on the state !
or on this county for the building Of dirt
roads to be turned over to political, Of
flee for their up-keep We must have
paved roads if they are to last, and these
roads should be built by engineers employ
ed by permanent highway commission
Of seven or nine men, cooperating with
the State Highway Commission, and who
should serve the county without salary,
and without even expense money When it
comes to the spending of vast sums Of
money for any purpose we want men to
spend it who serve out of spirit of pa
triotism and not for paltry salary or
per diem. Such men may be found.
We stand for progress when progress is I
progress and the people are sane.