The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-19

+. The Legislative Road COMMITTEE
also recommended the passage of :
joint resolution, amending section 49,
or the Constitution, permitting the is
suance of bonds for highway improve.
ment. This, as all OF you are doubt
'ess aware. will take a matter OF four
years. starting from 1918,
| From the foregoing report you will
see that your legislative road commit
tee was responsible for vast amount
! Of constructive legislation. Legisla-
! ton which will mean the development
OF the resources not only of this sec
/ ton. but Of the whole state.
FEDERAL ROAD LAW
have referred befare to the Federal
| Aid Road Law which made available
in March of this year nine hundred
and ninety-two thousand dollars
| fss2. Qo0.o0) and on July 1st, 1919,
one million. four hundred and eighty
eight thousand (s1.4ss.o0o oo) and on
July 1st or next year one million, four
hundred and lightweight thousand
dollars 1883. oo0.00). This brought
ussfacs 10 face with the necessity OF
providing immediate funds to meet
these federal appropriations. which
brought on the agitation for the
special session of th< General Asse M
bly,, and which you are aware was
called into extra session OF, August
18th, adjonrning early in this month.
They had before them for consid-
Grafton number of highway bills, the
chief of which were the commission
bill, the automobile bill and the special
levy bill. Taking these in their order
the commission bill created a commits
sion of five to be appointed by the
Governor and selected from the diff
ferent geographical sections of the
state. The Commissioner, also APP
pointed by the Governor is vested with
the power of selecting the locations
OF the routes in the state highway
system between the points designat-
ed By the General Assembly. and it is
his duty TO notify promptly the clerks
OF the various counties or cities
through which the routes are estab-
lished Of his decisions. Should the
citizens be dissatisfied with the loca
ton of the routes they have the right
to appeal to the Commission. The
missinn Is then authorized to hold
public hearing and decide the question
and their decision in the matter Is
final. The Commissioner, with the
approval OF the the Commission APP
portions he funds which have been
appropriated by the General Asse mhiy
highway system. The Commission
will also fix the salaries of the employ
ees of the highway department. One
of the .rQost important functions of
this Commission will be 10 recommend
to the general assembly changes or
additions to the state highway system.
This TO my mind Is its most impor-
tant duty. since II will In a large
measure safeguard the work. which
a
road committee In 1918.
To meet the federal aid and carry
en- the general work OF the depart
ment, the general assembly Increas-
ed the present three tenths OF a mill
tax to one mill tax. You are in
terested, of course, in what that will
mean Ia YOU in added taxes, on 1000
etc. From this source we will derive
approximately million and II quarter
dollars (s1,250, 100000
AUTOMOBILE TAX
In addition to this they increased
the automobile tax from forty cents
4oc) TO sixty cents {s0c). The
funds derived from the automo-
for construction. From this source
We will receive approximately four
hundred and fifty thousand dollars
tSt5o. oQ0.00) for construction and
nine hundred thousand dollars $500
oo1 for maintenance. In addition
they appropriated from the general
funds six hundred and twenty Ave
thousand dollars (s625, 0oo.00) for
CONSTRUCTION purposes From al!
sources we will receive approximately
twenty three to twenty-four hundred
Thousand dollars $500 900 90 to
w 4nA ono 4p0s .as Ar. ANIMAL ,effset to
federal aid. This gives total avail
able fund for construction for the
NEXT two years of IA little less than
ten millions Of dollars 100000. ooo. =
o0).
The extra session also appropriated
four hundred thousands of dollars
ts4oo, oo0o0) annual state aid TO
counties. This is to he met by like
! amount by the counties and 70 he
available in 1920. This fund 10 be
spent by the counties either in main
tenanee or construction on the county
highway system.
1t is estimated that II will take an
rrextrnately from sixty-five 10 seven =
" millions of dollars fss5. GOO. 900 TO
sTo.eoo.o oo) TO properly construct the
state highway system. You will
readily see. therefore. that with the
present state and federal appropria
tons 1t will require from twelve to
fourteen years to do the work which
we have in hand. We should, there
fore, take under consideration the ad
visibility of experimenting our pres