The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1920-04-15
IN STATEWIDE BOND ISSUE
POLK COUNTY SHOULD Be
ELIMINATED FROM EXTRA TAX

To the Editor of the Evening Tele-
gram: The proposition to bond the
State for twenty millions, or some
such sum, for the building of perma-
nent highways, is a subject which
ought to engage the serious attention
OF all thinking men. The people of
Folk county have had an object les
son during the past few years of the
value of good roads. Some Of our
very conservative men estimate that
the county has already received back
in value more than the entire amount
OF the countrywide bond Tissue of one
and one-half million dollars. Whether
this be true or not It needs only a
casual observation and inquiry to
demonstrate the fact that if the Coun-
ty Commissioners had seen fit to ad-
vance the taxable value of the lands
in Polk county in the same ratio as
they have been advanced during the
past three or four years by the own
ars thereof and would continue so to
do each year in like proportion, the
splendid road system of Polk county
would practically cost the county
nothing, the cost being simply an out
lay on the part Of land owners for
the purpose Of improving and enhanc-
ing the value of their holdings, the
county simply acting as the financing
medium for the carrying out of the
entire work at one time.
II may be true that taxes have ad-
vanced in Polk county: what has not
advanced? It cannot be demonstrated.
however, that any material part of
this advance, so far, is due to the
cost Of our countrywide road system
This is being taken care of today in
its maintenance, in the matter OF in
terest and retiring of bonds, by prac-
tically the same millage as that we
are now paying in taxes is not being
spent for the construction and main
tenance of poor roads from year to
year but to pay for and maintain 4
splendid system of roads, the upkeep
Of which on the whole, has been at
very reasonable cost.
To build this Countrywide system
was good business. II has made Polk
county famous the country over but
we are confronted with the fact, more
and more every day, that we are iso-
lated from the big world outside with
all of our splendid road system be-
cause adjoining counties have failed
to make provision to pave their high
ways. So, thousands and thousands
of people are kept out OF Florida now
because of some bad missing links
along the Dixie and other main ma
tional highways. The plan Of the
federal government In cooperating
with the several states in the building
OF their main highways makes it nee
essary for the states to meet the gov
ernment's appropriation by providing
one dollar for every dollar set apart
by the government, and in order that
Florida should not lose her appropria-
ton for this and last year ii was nee
essary to increase the state millage in
order to meet a situation not provid-
ed for by the state constitution.
Now the time has come when, In
order that Florida may take part in
the great national highway construc-
ton plan and be in position to re-
ceive her share of federal appropria-
tions made and to be made, some plan
must be conceived whereby the state
can issue long time bonds for the pur-
pose. Plans have been proposed but
none that seem satisfactory Some
CT them lack feasibility; others lacl:
in practicalness and equity And il
ic of this latter phase 7 now desire
&c speak because It rs Of special in
iorest to this community. Polk county
has built a splendid countrywide sys'
tenn of highways which of themselves
rave done much during the past two
or three years to increase the tax
able values of property in the county
This county yhas bonded itself for
about two millions Of dollars and the
popertv in the county is taxed in
order to pay the interest and provide
for the redemption Of the bonds.
To ask Polk county now to pay her
70 rata and to assuae a pro rata
4 liability connected with the issuance
e twenty or thirty million dollars
worth of bonds for state highway inn
provement without making some fair
nj reasonable allowance for the ob-
legations already incurred, is abso-
lutely unreasonable, unfair and un-
lust and would penalize the wide
awake community who did not wait to
10 helped but acted on the pT0verb
God helms thCye who helD them