The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1920-01-23
DISTRICT HIGHWAY NOT
TO BE BUILT VERY SOON
F act That 1t Cant Be Built Under Present Act AS
it Stands is Finally Admitted by Member
of The Commission

What has become of the Fere-N
bee District Highway, that won
derful concrete road which was
to have been built from Edenton
to- the Virginia state line, via
Elizabeth City, Shawboro and
Moyock? The answer was an
ticipated by this newspaper
months ago but is now admitted {
by a member of the District
Highway Commission This mem
Der tells this newspaper that the
District Highway Commission is
convinced that it will have to Sc
cure an amendment to the Fere-
bee Act before it can raise suffi-
Gent funds to build the road.
And SO, until that amendment
can be secured at another ses-
sion of the legislature the Dis
trict Highway Commission can
only mark time In meantime
| the tax payers in the five coun-
ties embraced in the district will
pay 10 cents on each 500 valua
ton of their property for a road
/ that may be built if they will con-
isent to having that tax increas-
led.
The District Highway Commission
, sees only one possible other way out
.. Some of the Commissioners believe that
the increased valuation of property un-
, der the Revaluation Act will provide
the revenue for the building of the road.
: Under the District Highway Act the lin
lit of taxation is fixed at 10 cents on the
500 valuation and so cents on the poll.
That limit was based upon the tax val
ues of 1917 and did not anticipate the
revaluation of property in 1920. Right
here an interesting question arises:-
The State of North Carolina in calling
for an honest revaluation of property
pledged the people of the state that
:. Atheir taxes would not be perceptibly in
= = creased under the revafuation. a speciaf
- session of the Legislature was promised
- in order to secure an adjustment of the
~ tax rate to fit the new valuation of pro-
~ perty, The total property valuation in
~ the five counties in this district highway
" project was about SIT ,O0O,O0000, based
upon the tax books of 1917. Under the
le revaluation of 1920 the total of taxable
- property in this district is confidentl!
r. expected to treble the values of 1917.
nd John Smith whose property was list
90 ed at 81 200 in 1917 is now paying Sl.O'
go of tax money on the Ferebee Dlstrlc
st Highway John Smiths property viii
he apDear 5000 under the revauation o
rly 1920 and he will pay $500 of his ta
money on the Ferebee Highway, unles
;tv the Supreme Court holds that local ia
to assessments must be adjusted to tn
Ie- Revaluation, just as the state has pleds
id. ed to adjust all other taxes to the lie
1t valuation.
try No one is standing in the way of til
ted Ferebee District Highway. The spo1
a sors of the project and a lying pres
tried to make the public believe ths
some one was holding it up. The blu
having served its purpose for seaso
the public has since been left in tt
W. dark, neither Senator Ferebee nor tt
District Highway Commission vouchsa
BON ing any information as to why they don
proceed to build a road
At this late date an admission is mat
by a member of the District Highw:
ars, Commission that another session of tt
the Legislature will have to be appealed
city before the Edenton-Virginia highw;
the can be built The question now arise
and will the Representatives of the five di
ub- ferent counties in the District line
not for an amendment to the bill? And tn
lals is a question indeed Chowan alwa
ma was reluctant to go into the schen
hat Currituck and Camden went into it {
'wn most as reluctantly. How will they fe
the when asked to put up more money? st
rom others are beginning to ask the questio
what will Virginia do? Here is q arproJe
anne to build a hard surfaced road from
'oys bemarle Sound to the Virginia Sta
rap, line, the city of Norfolk being the o
pro- iective; and no one has any assuran
way from the Virginians that they will Jo
un- us at their state line and build ha
has surfaced road into Norfolk.