The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-02-21
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 21' 1919
OUR FIFTY MILES.

The SuggeSClon VI 'ie :,
State that Abbeville County "ouiu
obtain so miles of concrete roads OF
the system proposed to be ouil'
needs investigation.
These roads will cost Tor tneir
construction about 100000 per mlle'
according to the estimates that we
have seen. Therefore, the number
Of miles we are to receive will cost
one million dollars.
It is not suggested that Abbevlue
will secure more miles than we pay
for If we secure roads costing one
million dollars in the constructlon'
we may safely assume that we Will
pay our part of the bill. That would
be fair. ,
Do the people of Abbeville county
desire to assume the payment OF one
million dollars for the purpose OF
building fifty miles of road? The as
sessed valuation of the property OF
this county is about six millions OF
dollars. The proposed roads, if bonds
are issued, will put a first lien on the
property of every man in the county
for one-sixth of the present assessed
value of such property. If your pro-
perty is now assessed at three thou
sand dollars for taxation, you will
be charged with the payment of five
hundred dollars of these bonds, as
well as with the payment of the an
nual interest on that amount, wheth-
er or not you, "Mr. Hester, of Hes
terville," live within ten or fifteen
miles of the proposed roads, which
you will not do.
1t is true that it is proposed to
raise this money, which is first made
a charge against your property, by
a system Of license taxes, which IL
cense taxes we approve Of, it the
bonds are issued, but the amount Of
money to be raised each year in Abb
beville County for the repayment of
these bonds, calculating according to
our proportion of taxable property,
will be $4,000 Of principal, as well
as the annual interest at four and
one-half per cent on one million OF
dollars which will be $45,000. 1t is
possible that we might collect of the
principal only half the stated amount,
and that these collections, with &C.
sumulated interest, would be suffici-
ent. to pay the principal on these
bonds,: but with this we would still
be called upon to- raise in this county
each year $4,000 in addition to the
taxes which we are now paying. Is
there: q man in Abbeville County
foolish, enough to believe that we
can raise any such sum Of money out
Of the automobile owners of tho
county each year? If we cannot,
then Mr.. Taxpayer your property
will bear the burden.
Then let us see again. If we are
to obtain fifty miles of roads, costing
one million dollars, and if we pay
only forty-six per cent Of the taxes
Of the state, does it not follow that
there will be forty six times as many
miles Of road in the state as Abbe-
vile has, costing forty-six times as
much, and making a bonded indebt-
edness Of forty-six millions Of dol
lars instead Of twenty-five millions.
If Abbeville is to obtain fifty miles
Of roads, and the indebtedness is to
be less than the forty-six millions,
some county is to be deprived Of the
roads for which it pays, which we
take it, The State would not consent
to.
The annual interest at four and
one-half per cent Of forty-six millions
Of dollars is something over two mil
lions Of dollars, while the proposed
license tax, at the figures suggested,
would only raise, as we have seen it
stated, about one million, four hum
dred thousand dollars, leaving some
thing like seven hundred thousand
dollars of interest, as we'll as all the
Il" a.