The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-03-19
AN EASY WAY SUGGESTED FOR
BUILDING GOOD ROADS

Rae, commissioner OF agriculture, of
fered the following suggestions for
building good roads. If carried out
they roads can be made and the bur-
den of cost will hardly be felt.
Mr.. McRae says:
The citizens of Florida have never
consented to vote for state bond is.
sue for good roads. A number of
states have voted large bond issues
for road building, these bonds to be
liquidated by direct state tax CT
real estate and personal property.
We have come to the time. howey
er. when good roads are public ne
cessity in all of the counties of Flor
ida, and we should have them. The
agricultural Development and, in
fact, all rural development is depend
ent on good roads.
The following is a plan / wish to
suggest for raising sufficient
amount of money to give the whole
state of Florida system of good
roads without placing a penny of tax
on real estate and personal property
The oil inspection division of the
department of agriculture, with Is OF
cent per gallon on gasoline, kero-
sene, ETC., will put into the state
treasury this year approximately $50,
900. Change this tax to l cent per
gallon and the sum would be 100000
II properly regulated this tax would
reach 100000, thus making total OF
81, 900. 900 per annum from these two
sources.
The average of eight hundred state
convicts on the public roads, at a val
ne of $500 each per annum, is equal
to S40O,0 900 in labor. Bond the state
for S20OOO,00O The United States
government would supplement for an
equal sum, thus giving $2O,O00,O0t
more to meet the states bond issue.
Counting the $2O,0O0.OOO that would
be derived from state bond issue
500, 00O,O 900 government funds and the
labor value of the state convicts, for
period of ten years will give grane
total of $44,O0O,OO0 for system OF
state highways.
BY abolishing the lease system Of
county convicts, we would have an av
erage of 1900 laborers, worth $500
each per annum. This would add Sc,
400. 900 worth of labor for the period
of ten years.
If all of this s4O,OOO,OOO in money
and the S1O,4O0,0OO in labor was
available for use under the state road
we could have at the end
of ten years a system of public roads
in Florida not equalled by any state
in the union.
The $1,0O0,0O0 tax on motor vehi
cles and gasoline will pay an annual
interest of per cent on the $4,000,
900 of state bonds. The increase in
population and better road system
will increase this tax sufficiently to
retire this $20,00O,000 in Is years
This plan would do away with "a
two-mill state road tax We now have
and there would be no state tax laquis-
ed on our real estate and personal
property to pay the interest on the
bond issue, and liQuidate the same in
the period of 25 years.
There are 10000 farms in Florida
From these farms we market, in per
ishables. staples and live stock, 20,
900 carloads of products, or approx
imately 100000 tons. Counting ex
cess labor. expense and delay, il
would cost at least 81 per ton more
to get these products to market over
poor roads than over good roads
This means a direct cost to the pro-
Queer of $1,400.000 per annum This
cost must be added to the consumers
price, SO it affects everybody The
wear and tear of vehicles, extra feed
and gasoline, will amount to another
100000. Good roads, then, mean a
direct gain to the producers of the
state of not less than $2,0O0,000 pei
annum in marketing farm and grove
products alone. This 100000 loss
is enough to pay every farm mortgage
in the state in three years, to say
nothing of the movig to market of
many millions of dollars worth Of |
poultry, live stock and other products
that would be hauled annually over
a system of good state roads.
Education is the transforming in
fluence of the world and the basis
of all progress. Agriculture is also
basic. Upon it rests the commerce
of the world, and even civilization.
Good roads are veins through which