The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1919-06-27
THAT DISTRICT HIGHWAY
LOOKS A LONG WAY OFF
Conference With Chairman of State Highway Com
mission Here Tuesday Resulted Only in
Gloom

1OI Lu0 1IuHl0uldC0 r0dl1ZdC1On OF
the proposed permanent high
way between Albemarle Sound
and the Virginia state line, con-
Meeting the county seats of
Chowan, Perquimans, Pasquo-
tank. Camden and Currituck.
This rather disconcerting fact
oozed out of a conference held in
this city Tuesday. The confer
encewas attended by the North
eastern North Carolina District
Highway Commission, the Pas
quotank Highway Commission
and the chairmen Of the High
way Commissions of Perquim-
ans and Chowan, and by Hon.
Frank Page, chairman of the N.
G. State Highway Commission.
AS pointed out ip this newspaper two
weeks ago, Chairman Page has intimat-
ed that State and Federal aid will not
be available for all road projects in
northeastern North Carolina. Chair
man Page has further ruled that State
and Federal aid can not be granted
the proposed district highway except
upon application from the highway
commissions of the five counties in the
district. Chairman Page does not con-
slider that he can deal with the district
as a whole, at all. He has referred the
question to Attorney General James S.
Manning and Judge Manning's decision
is pending.
Chairman Page came to Elizabeth
City Tuesday at the suggestion OF the
District Commission. The idea was to
get him here and take advantage of the
occasion to commit the Pasquotank
Highway Commission. Chairman Page
was brought here under the misappre-
hension that there was antagon1sm be-
| tween the Pasquotank Commission ana
the District Commission. And there
| is where the>conference was a flzzle.
| Speaking for the Pasquotank High
way Commission, A B. Houtz declared
! that this commission was in no way
| opposed to the District Highway. He
wanted it clearly understood however
that the Pasquotank Highway Commis-
sion did not feel that it would be true
to Pasquotank County if it sacrificed
Pasquatank interests to a project OF
district Importance. Speaking for the
Pasuuotank Highway Commission, Mr..
Houtz did not feel that that body would
relinuuish Pasquotank's claims to state
and Federal aid.
John Wood, chairman of the Chowan
County Highway Commission took the
same position for his county. Chowan
does not want to relinquish her claims
to State and Federal aid, for the sue
cess of an inter county project.
\ And so there you are. If Pasquotank
and Chowan will not sacrifice their
prospects to<the district highway, there
will be no district highway, unless At
torney General Manning decides that
the State Highway Commission can
deal direct with the District Highway
Commission.
i 1T LOOKS HOPELESS
This newspaper believes the public
should have the bald facts and in giving
the bald facts it can not paint any rosy
| visions of a prospect of the much de-
sired district highway being built any
: time soon.
Chairman Page told the conferees al
Tuesdays meeting that the proposed
district highway would cost not a mil
lion dollars, but a million and hall
: dollars. The District Highway Com
mission, created by the act of Senator
| Miles w. Ferebee has only quarter
million dollars to work with. The State
and Federal governments will in nc
| case contribute more than half the cost
of the construction of a state highway
: AS the District Highway Commission
cannot put up more than $250,000 it is
debarred from State and Federal aid or
project requiring s1,500,000.
The only way the District Highway
Commission can get State and Fedora
aid at all. in view Of it's own lack OF
funds. is to ask for State and Fedora
Aid on only so much of the proposed
, road as it can hope to build with the
funds now available. The Distric
Commission could apply for funds fo1
: part of the road this year and trust tt
, luck to raise more revenue and appl!
, for additional aid next year. By making
: application for funds for few mile
: of road each year, the District High
way Commission could hope to get TIN
p road between Edenton and the Virgin
+ ia line built some time between nov
! and the year 1925.
Il And here is presented another aggra
q waiting question:: Do the people of tn
several counties want a district high
r way built that way. Will the peopl
Of all five counties in the district stan
Concluded on page %