The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-07-29
Unable to SeH Bonds County Forced
 To Stop Road Work, Say Aduisors
Advisory Committee Also Says Competent Engineer Is Necessary to Handle County's Important
 Projects

In a letter to the board or revenue of Jefferson county the citizens committee, which accepted responsibility with the board in the building of new roads under the 5,000,- 900 bond issue, declares the present money markets condi- tion renders it impossible, "in the near future," to finance that bond issue.
 The committee further declares it ab- solutely necessary for effectual service in carrying out a project of this magni- tude that a competent engineer be em- ployed. The committee says:
 we do not consider the present county engineer as competent to carry out work of such large magnitude as that proposed"
 The committee ayers that the bond election was carried on the assumption that the road work undertaken in 1913 had been financed and that the board of revenue made such representations It was not until after the election that the committee claims it found this as- sumption incorrect. It expresses the belief that had the people known the facts, the bond issue would not nave carried by such majority.
 hal CT sale of s2.oOo, 900 of bonds to the Ala bama Bond Company, the collapse or the security market, and the present financial straits of the county
 In order to protect the county with regard to federal aid money, e-con- mittee suggests that effort be made to have the United States office of pup lie roads agree to a suspension or the contracts for the time being with the county's retention on federal aid
 COMMITTEES STATEMENT
 Text of the committees letter fol- lows
 ty, Birmingham, Ala:
 Gentlemen: It is evident that so long as the present condition or the bond market prevails, it will De lmpos- sible, in the near future, to finance the construction of roads proposed in con- neCt1On With the Yo,VVVsVVV cOHN voted on February Il, 1920. Naturally there has been much public interest in the progress of the road programme laid out previous to the bond election. rms committee has not previously issued statement because it has been our earnest desire to assist in financing thls road programme and to conserve the credit of Jefferson county, and up until the present we have not considered that a public statement would aid In our gaining these objectives
 We have reached the conclusion that for the present at least, very little can be done to solve the financial difficul- ties confronting the county There- fore we consider it our duty to report to the public upon the essential de- tails of the various questions which have arisen during the negotiations re- garding the award of contracts and sale of bonds. The new road pro- gramme will be indefinitely delayed under any conditions, and we feel that it is incumbent upon us to acqualnt the public with the reasons for this de- lay. We have, therefore, submitted copy of this letter to the two local pa- pers through whom the statement VIII be given to the public.
 At the time of our appointment on January 30 it was our understanding that our duties were to relate entirely to the expenditure of the S5.oOOo0o to be provided for road construction if the bond election on February II was car fled We did rot consider that we had any right or duty to advise you re- garding matters relating to road con- tracts entered into prior to our ap- nointment and which were generally
 full finannan at the time of their award. Neither did our committee understand that any of the proceeds of the new s5OoO,Ooo bond issue would be used to meet ob- ligations contracted by the county prior to the bond election.
 The bond election carried and the sale of $2,000.000 of road bonds in 1920 was authorized. We immediately ap- proved the proposal of your board, tc ask for bids on $2,000,000 of new road construction. In the meantime your board, with the approval of this com mittee, had in absolute good faith en- tered into an agreement with the Ala bama Bond Company for the sale of 2,000 900 worth of bonds. At that time no one had the slightest idea that the sale would not be carried out accord ing to agreement. Bids for the con- struction of new roads amounting to total of approximately $2,000.00O were received on April 2S, and contracts for the entire amount would have been awarded within the next few days had your board and this committee not agreed that the best interests of the county would be served by the rejection of bids on three projects amounting to a total of approximately $4S0, 900. As it was, contracts to the amount of ap-