The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1919-01-31


in the dry old summer time. Just
now, after a series of winter rains
and freeze or two, we have miles
of mud, some of it thick enough to
mire up a mule, all of it treacher
Gus to automobile or wagon. They
must be rebuilt every year, or twice
a year, and for weeks after they are
worked are worse than before.
Georgia has an opportunity now to
acquire a system of good roads
permanent roads, built to last twenty
years or more with very little cost
for upkeep.
What will they cost the farmer or
the general taxpayer?
NOT ONE RED CENT!
Sounds too good to be true, doesn't
it? But it IS true.
What did the old-fashioner farmer
say when good roads were first dis
cussed?
They'll just be speedways for the
automobile owners. Why should we
pay for them?"
That's what he said. He was
wrong; but Wen accept his view for
the sake of argument.
The automobile owners want good
roads.
Then let the automobile owners
pay for them.
That's the plan to be presented the
Georgia Legislature. The proposed
highway bill provides for giving every
county I'M Georgia two permanent
highways leading from county seat to
county line-the counties with two or
more Representatives in the Legisla-
ture to have four highways.
And the automobile owner will pay
all the bills. He is willing; more,
he is anxious.
Increased automobile license fees
will do the trick.
The bill proposes to fix these fees
at an average of $40 a car. Fords
will pay about SIS. The high-priced
cars will pay more, as their owners
can afford it.
The owners won't complain. EX
perience and official records show
that good roads save tires and up
keep and gasoline to. the extent of
at least 500 a year per car. Out in
California, on those concrete roads,
a tire that doesn't give 10000 miles
causes big kick from the purchaser.
Half that mileage is good in Georgia
and a tire costs from $40 to $500,
and they run four to a car.
It isn't proposed to put the license
fees directly into road building. That
would be slow process, and unsatls-
factory. The idea is to have the state
of Georgia issue bonds for $40,00O,-
600, as soon as the necessary legis-
lation can be provided. All that mon
ey can be put into roads, all over
the state, fairly divided, as rapidly
as the roads can be built. Add toI
that the growing Federal fund-we
can cover the whole state in few
years.
The license fees, even on the pres
ent census of 100, 900 cars in Georgia,
will pay the interest on those bonds,
provide a sinking fund, and pay off
the whole bonded bill at the end of
twenty years. If the roads are built
right they will still be here. We
use them while the automobile owners
are paying for them.
The plan doesn't call for cent of
extra taxes from anybody's pocket.
But how about the rural jewellers,
who live off the main highways? is
the next question. What do THEY
get out of this state road system?
When the state takes over the
building of the main highways, from
county seat to county seat, it as
ing them repaired. That leaves each
county free to use its own taxes and
its own convict labor and its own
bonds, if it likes, to build and keep
up good roads into the rural districts
building them where it thinks best.
Any county commissioner will tell
you that the most of the county's
money goes into the main highways,
repairing them, renewing them. They
receive protests every day from dwell
lers on other roads, complaining be-
cause they have nothing but mud.
They must neglect the highways to
please the remote farmer; or they
must neglect the remote farmer to
keep up the highway They can not
do both.
Don't forget the United States
money that is lying idle in Washing
ton, waiting for Georgia to forget
politics long enough to pass high
way law that will meet the govern
ment's requirements
That money belongs to Georgia,
but we shall never GET it until we
prove that we MEAN BUSINESS.
1t amounts now to $1,3OO,OOO
The government is waiting until
Georgia is willing to go fifty-hfty on
the road building; to put up an equal