The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-10-04
PARISH WIDE ROAD
SCHEME COMES UP
ON MONDAY
Police Jury Will be Asked to
Adopt Ordinance Merging
Road Districts In One
cOMITTEE TO PRESENT
ARGUMENTS FOR MOVE
Representative Taxpayers Are
Heading Project to Raise
Over Two Millions

The parish-wide good roads project
fathered by the 0pelousas Chamber
of Commerce, which organization is
being ably assisted by large num-
ber of the public spirited citizens Of
this city and parish, will come up for
action before the police jury on next
Monday morning. A committe of citi-
zens, representing various sections
of the parish will appear before the
police jury to stress the Importance
of the adoption of the ordinance
merging the fourteen road districts OF
st. Landry into one, and arranging
for the calling of an election to float
a bond issue of two and half mil
lion dollars.
According to well posted good
roads enthusiasts the police jury will
adopt the ordinance, but it is import
ant that as large a crowd of repre-
sentative taxpayers and citizens ap-
pear before the police jury in order
that the body and the general public
can be forcibly impressed with the
popularity of the movement.
Opelousas, the largest taxpayer Of
the parish, is heartily in accord with
the project and it is said that Eunice
and Washington, the other big CEN
ters are favorably impressed with the
project and will back 0pelousas in its
desire to see the fourteen various
road districts merged into one.
st. Landry viii be in position to
raise over three million dollars for
road construction work, if the par
ish wide project is carried through.
Now that modern, permanent hard
surfaced highways are realized to be
business getters as well as the best
investment for taxpayers to place
their money in, it is believed that st.
Landry must devise some ways Of
getting a better, more efficient sys-
tenn of highways than the one pre-
setnly planned.
st. Landry will be travesred by
the Evangeline Highway and probab-
" by the Pershing Way, running
from Canada to New Orleans. In that
event thousands Of visitors from al
sections of the United States win be
continually passing through this par
ish, and it is certainty that unless
St. Landry's roads compare favorably
with those of other parishes investors
will pass up this parish and go else
where.
One Of the strongest, as well as
the best argument advanced in favor
of the new move is that the rich CEN
ters will help to pay for roads in the
poorer and less populous sections Of
| st. Landry, OpeIousas, for instance
will pay approximately twenty-five
per cent Of the tax, if the parish
wide project is carried through. Un-.
der the present system this city can:
tax itself sufficiently to pave every
highway in the. first ward, while tho
districts Of the fourth ward can not
levy sufficient tax to build highway
under state highway specification.
The Bayou BeOuf district, for in
stance recently taxed itself to the
limit for its link of the Evangeline
Highway, and it is said that even #
the district should get every one Of
| its eighty-odd thousand dollars match
ed by the state and federal govern
ments it would not have sufficient
funds to construct its twenty miles
Of highway under specifications o.
the highway association. Many Of thu
smaller. districts are in similar posi-
tion, while the Opelousas-W Washing
ton district really has more none.
than is needed for its link Of tn
highway.
Opelousas is ready to assure tn
taxpayers of st. Landry that it
Wlu1uR W USdE lIs puIUCA Va So2A9sSgi
in order to give this parish one Of th
best and most up-to-date systems o
modern highways in this state. 8
! Landry is the richest parish in til
state and it is for that reason, if fo
nothing else why this parish shoal
have the best system Of roads in th
: state.
All good roads enthusiasts wi
therefore be headed for the paris
police jury room on next Monday
. urge the jurors to consider the d
mand of large number Of the mo
influential taxpayers of st. Land
: by calling an election to levy a Il
] of two and a half million dollars f
: the purpose of constructing the bs
: highway system in Louisiana
lC HR--.. NIL NE.A.s 4 a.