Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-25
GOOD ROADS AND
BRIDGES TO COME
WITH NEW TAXES
Increased Assessment on Coal
Lands to Mean Much to
County
PERMITS IMPROVEMENTS
|Dauphin to Get Needed Work
Done Without Cost to
Taxpayers
MEANS LARGE REVENUES
Best County Highway and
Bridges in State Would
Be the Result

The best county and township
roads i'm PENNSYLVANIA and lots of
them.
Reconstruction OF county
bridges that ought to be replaced
by modern structures.
Erection of joint courthouse
and city hall, in conjunction with
the city of Harrisburg.
These and other public improve
ments will be made possible by the
Increased assessment of coal lands in
E the upper end of the county.
The county commissioners are be-
s ing highly praised for their part
in providing money with which 10
make Dauphin one of the foremost
counties in the state with regard
10 its roads and other civic develop
ments.
Money For Highways
The county and township ROADS
are admittedly in need of attention.
s =This is no fault of anybody In par
ticular. but has been due to the tact
that there was no money TO be nao
for a comprehensive road building
program without greatly increasing
4 the tax rate 1t is figured that the
3 of advancing the tax rate one penny,
will be able. with State aid, to give
! the farmers of the county a ROAD
system equal to any in Pennsylvania.
E The western counties have set aside
s12. 100000 for road purposes during
zthe coming four years. in addltloh
to the State appropriations but With
out this additional coal land assess
ment money Dauphin county would
mot have been able to join the list
#of progressive counties in the great
4 est road building program in the
History of this or any other state.
AS an indication of how the coal land
ztaX can be made to benefit the COM
munity, it is pointed out that
stretch of &c miles of the finest kind
J of township highway has been con-
zstructed just outside of Scranton with
revenues procured enurely from coal
hand assessments.
Need of Improvement
There are roads in Dauphin county
that are impossible at times and in
=nghtful condition four months each
wear.
Those who have been studying the
needs of Dauphin county say that the
roads and bridges are foremost con-
zsiderations in the minds of the far
mers and doubtless will receive early
action at the hands of the commits
sioners, once it is found just how
=much money will be realized from
: the reassessments. But there are
other matters to be considered, too,
and one of them is the county's
share in n joint couI thouse and city
zhall. This is in line with Governor
Sprouts recommendation and has
.,.t 9fNr fNr fNf
people who have to attend court
here. The present old building is
no longer fit for use. The jury rooms
are unsanitary and the public records
ARE in danger of fire. Deeds and
] all manner of legal instruments are
on file there that would cause the
property owners much embarrass-
ment and .tunto1d loss If they were
destroyed. The courthouse has been
pronounced a fretrap by those who
have inspected it.
Now Is the Time
Whether tn ecounty rebuilds the
courthouse or not the city of Har-
risburg must shortly erect n city hall
and the county commissioners believe
they will be able to save money for
he taxpayers by joining with the
rity in construction of building that
! will be ample for the county's needs
for the next century and at cost
much lower than if a courthouse
hlone were built.
Another matter that is under con-
sideration and soon must be acted
upon is the building of hospital
for contagious disease treatment. 1t
S figured that this can be accom-
plished with the coal land money
and that the good roads program,
he courthouse, new bridges and the
proposed hospital all can be erected
without the addition of even a half
mill to the present tax rate.