The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-03-12
NJ RAE PROPOSES,
PLAN FOR ROADS
Sends Extract of Address Outlining
Scheme to Marion County
Board of Trade

The secretary of the Board of Trade
has received from Mr.. W. A. McRae,
commissioner of agriculture of the
state, an extract from an address
made by the commissioner at the Palm
Beach County Fair, March 5th, in
which is proposed a plan for building
good roads in Florida. Commissioner
McRae requests that his proposition
be given close study and that sugges-
tions be made concerning it.
The extract is as follows:
The citizens of Florida have never
consented to vote for a state bond
issue for good roads. A number of
states have voted large bond issues
for road building, these bonds to be
| licuidated by a direct state tax on
real estate and personal property.
We have come to the time, however,
when good roads are a public neces-
sity in all of the counties of Florida,
and we should have them. The agri-
cultural development, and, in fact, all
rural development is dependent on
good roads.
The following is a plan | wish to
suggest for raising sufficient amount
OF money to give the whole state of
Florida a system of good roads with
out placing a penny of tax on real
estate and personal property.
The oil inspection division of the de-
partment of agriculture. with Is of a
cent per gallon on gasoline, kerosene,
etc., will put into the state treasury
this year approximately $4,000.
| Change this tax to 1 cent per gallon
and the sum would be 100000. The
automobile license tax will approxi-
mate this year 100000. If properly
regulated, this tax would reach $780,
| 900, thus making a total of 81 900, 900
per .annum from these two sources.
The average of eight hundred state
convicts on the public roads, at a
value of $500 per annum, is equal to
| 100000 in labor Bond the state for
$20,000,000. The United States gov
ernment would supplement for an
equal sum. tn sugiving $20,000,000
more to meet the states bond issue.
/ Counting the $2O,OOO,OOO that would
be derived from a state bond issue,
$20,000,000 government funds and the
labor value of the state convicts, for
q period of ten years will give grand
total of $44, 100000 for a system of
state highways.
By abolishing the lease system of
county convicts, we would have an
average of 1900 laborers, worth $400
each per annum. This would add
100000 worth of labor for the
period of ten years.
IL all of this $40,000,000 in money
and the $1O,400,0OO in labor was
available for use under the state road
department, we could have at the end
OF ten years a system of public roads
in Florida not equaled by any state in
the Union.
| The $1,000,000 tax on motor We
hicles and gasoline will pay an annual
interest of 5 % on the 20,000,000 of
Estate bonds. The increase in popula-
tion and a better road system will in
crease this tax sufficiently to retire
this $20,000,000 in % years. This plan
would do away with the two-mill state
read tax we now have and there
would be no state tax required on our
real estate and personal property to
pay the interest on the bond issue, and
liquidate the same in the period of %
years.
There are 10000 farms in Florida
From these farms we market, in per-
; ishables, staples and live stock, 10000
carloads of products, or approximate
ly 100000 tons. Counting excess
labor, expense and delay, it would
cost at least 81 per ton more to gel
: these products to market over poor
roads than over good roads. This
means direct cost to the producer o1
81 100000 per annum. This cost must
-, be added to the consumers price, 81
it affects everybody. The wear anC
tear of vehicles, extra feed and gaso
line will amount to another $500, 900
Good roads, then, means a direct gain
: ! to the producers of the state of no
!. less than s2,O00.000 per annum il
marketing farm and grove product
alone. This S2,OO0,00O loss is enough
: tc pay every farm mortgage in tn
state in three years, to say nothing
!, of the moving to market of man!
, millions of dollars worth of poultry
!, live stock and other products tina
would be hauled annually over a sys
tom of good state roads.
:, Education is the Transforming in
= fiuence of the world and the basis o
, = all progress. Agriculture is ais
i basic. Upon it rests the commerc
of the world and even civilization.
x Good roads are the veins throug
which flow the very life's blood o
l education, agriculture and commerc,
Good roads are one of the grea
sources of life to any country, an
with better education, better agricu
ture and good roads Florida will com
into her own in a decade.