The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-01-16
SIX PROVISIONS URGED

First-To provide for statewide sys- tenn of highways to be constructed and maintained by the state under the direc
 ton and control of the state highway commission.
 adoped. insofar as the amendment itself should specify the routes that constitute the state system. not necessarily the ex act location, but it should be provided that
 the routes shall connect all county seat
 owns and cities with a hard surfaced
 road.
 Third-The amendment should create state highway commission to be appoint ed by the governor, to be composed of one member from each congressional dis
 trict with power to lay out, construct and
 maintain the state highway system and to co operate with the federal government in
 any road work that it should undertake
 CThis is important because, in my judg.
 ment the federal government in the next
 two or three years will undertake the construction of a very comprehensive sys-
 tenn of military roads, giving the high
 way commission power to appoint a state
 highway engineer with salary sufficient
 to secure the services of really great executive officer and man who is a real road builder and engineer of the type of GeHcfal COetlldiS, give HI1u as many assistants as he might need
 Fourth-The amendment should also
 provide a bond issue to obtain the funds with which to construct and maintain the system secured by the automobile taxes under an amortization plan. to be re-
 tired in 70 to D years, the bonds to be
 issued by the state, signed by the gov ernor, and to be sold as needed and pro- ceeds converted into the state treasury
 1 1srht1 f f1nY d
 work progres esses. Let the highway com mission make contract to construct and
 maintain the system on competitive bids
 and provide that work shall start simul- ;;tneously in each of the 10 congressional districts and to be completed in five years.
 F'ifth-The amendment should leave the counties as they are now, with their con- vict forces to maintain their county sys- tenn of roads. However before work ac- tua!ly begins all over the state, after the state system is constructed, does any maintenance work, that county should be allowed to have the work done, appraised and paid for out of the bond issue Sixth-Put the state convicts on the roads and use them wherever the state highway commission thinks best to help build a great system of highways. MEANS STATE SYSTEM l This amendment to the constitution l would secure a state system of highways
 and would leave the counties in control or their own local affairs without any I undue interference by a central state au- l thority. It will maintain the county rights
 to decide on their own local development and at the same time provide that the
 state may have adequate state develop ment It will do this by a system of 1 taxes on motor vehicles that will be en- tirely just and adequate. It will be eco- nornical to the motor vehicle owners, for 1 they will have more than the annual tax
 required to provide for this system of state roads in the upkeep and in the economy of operation Of their vehicles. l The motor vehicle owners, I am sure, i would approve of the tax and the coun- ties would approve of it because they would secure an adequate system of state roads without any expense to them. By 1 this system, in my judgment, the tax
 values in the state would almost double