The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-09-24

peninsular territory, where the man
with mere fliver to ride in is eyed
askance as a person to be tolerated
but not encodraged.-Gadsden County
Times.
That twenty million dollar bond
amendment clique has established
branch Office in Gainesville, and from
there will send out propaganda. We
don't know who is paying for all this,
but we know the people Of Florida
will pay for it if they vote for the
amendment.-Ocala Star.
SOME WONDERFUL FIGURES
Figures may not lie, as the pro-
verb hath it, but they are often con.
fusing to the ordinary reader.
Thus when the Jacksonville Me.
tropolis, an ardent supporter Of the
bonding amendment, states that
permanent highways, built accord.
ing to standard specifications, cost
approximately $4,000 per mile.'' 1t
then speaks of three thousand miles
of highways for Florida, which the
advocates of the bond measure esti.
mate will be completed within six
years after actual labor is started"
The confusing part of it all is that
the advocates of the amendment have
been assuring the public that the
twenty million dollar bond issue which
the amendment would permit the leg
islature to use, together with federal
aid. Would be all that would be neces-
sary in order to create the state road
desired.
If our slate and pencil are in good
working order, three thousand miles
of road at forty thousand dollars a
mile, would cost the state, not TWEEN
ty million, but one hundred and TWEEN.
ty million dollars. Assuming that the
United States government will meet
the state appropriation, dollar for dol
lar. of which there is not the slightest
assurance, the state would still be re-
quired to furnish sixty million dollars
for the roads, ii the Jacksonville Me-
tropolis' claims have any basis in fact.
And where is the state going to
get that huge sum within the next
six, or any other number of years?
The twenty million bonds will be the
limit permitted by the law, unless the
Legislature raises the assessed yalu.
alton of the state or causes it to be
done. The valuation would have to he
doubled in order to raise the bond
limit to forty millions of dollars. If
another twenty million is demanded
IN order to complete the work in the
estimated six years, valuations would
have to be three times what thew are
now, or, on basis of the present yalu-
alton, said to be fifty per cent of the
real value of the real and personal
property in the state, it would have tn
be raised one hundred and fiftv nor
cent OF the valuation, as at present
Looks very much to the Herald
that the advocates of the amendment
are giving us some very wild figures
and that if they are successful in
their designs upon the pocketbooks
OF the people of the state, Florida's
taxes Tor the next good many years
viii keep investors and home-build.
ers from coming to the state at ALL
Miami Herald.
The Better Way to Build Good
Roads
We have no idea of how many gal
Ions of gasoline are sold each year in
Florida, but we do know that a tax
OF one, cent gallon on gasoline would
amount to very large sum every
year and would go long way in build
ing all the permanent roads Florida
will need. Not only will the people
of Florida pay the tax. but out of
state people who comes to Florida in
gas driven vehicles help build our
roads This is a question which our
legislature should consider seriously
before they place any bond issues on
our people. Further every sort of We
hicle should be taxed the same as an
automobile and all should be tagged
summerfield Chronicle.