The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1920-11-19
ROAD FUNDS.

he county court the road revenue!
or next year from the direct property
AK will be thirty per cent less than
hey were last year. The levy this
ear produced about $4,000 from this
ource; next year it will be about $751;
100 1t Is already foregOne conclu
lion that the wheel taxes must go
Che people have decreed it, This tax
reduced during the present year
nearly $4,000. 1t is assumed that
ONE tax for road purposes on automo-
lies will remain but 1t is safe TO esti-
nate cut in the wheel tax receipts
or next year OF $4,000 That means
reduction In the road revenues for
he coming year Of some $4,000.
Now however much the politicians
nay promise or the people may believe
Dads cannot be constructed repaired
" maintained by legislative fiat. 1t
,akes coin OF the realm in increasing
abundance to keep up the roads OF the
,ounty. . Despite the rosy views that
j. Dad enthusiasts took Of the recent
: election good highways are going to
= De paid for in good and lawful money
If the United States. One N the re
i narkablc features OF the situation in
his county is that some OF the most
ardent advocates Of the present law,
who declared that 1t would automatic
E ally solve all of our road problems,
were the first to repudiate and disown
Rit But nothing daunted they were
dust as quick to promise that some
\ other plan would do all that their old
Splan had promised and all that ii did
mot do. a
There has never been a time when
sMaury county had anything like an
adequate road revenue How the
sroGds are going TO be made smooth
. and please some automobile owners
! who do not think they are travelling
unless the speedometer registers far
above the legal limit without more
arevenue, is a problem that not even
Z the wisest and best statesmen can
solve. The traffic on the roads of Maui
county and their consequent depre-
citation Ia five times what it was five
years ago and yet during that period
! there has only been small increase
in the maintenance fund.
The Herald does not at this time ad
vocate a higher tax levy for highways.
!. Conditions do not justify it. 1t simply
points out to the people the facts to
{ warn them against OvercOniidence in
I the efficacy of any system or any law
for keeping up the roads without
funds. There are well over 1000
miles Of highways In Maury county
and there has been well under 500
a mile for their upkeep. Reducing
This fund by third or more is simply
going to impose an additional burden
on any individual who may he selected
to maintain the roads. The .sugges
stion that a single individual be vested
with absolute power to repair and
maintain the roads and expend all of
7 the revenues has been approved by
large number Of the people OF the coun-
! ty, but the ablest of road experts in the
/ world cannot give the county the roads
that modern traffic requires without
three or four times the revenue that
we have had in the past.
Moreover, no system is going to be
aelfeyecuting Much will depend upon
the ability the character and the devo,
votion of the manager on managers
who may be selected BIT equally
as much viii depend upon the measure
4 Of cooperation which the system re
ceives from the people. The very
best plan ever deHsed will fail If its
authors do az did the authors of the
/ existing system. disinherlt it before
Vic has fair chance to demonstrate ita
Virtues.