The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1921-10-16

ter of work before. Just think how
many road overseers it would take 10
man this number of men and teams,
and how much extra road machinery
il would require to employ all of the
teams in Carter county. that are now
on the farm; besides the vast expense
it would take TO properly equip these
teams. Don't you think this would be
a great waste of the tax payers money
instead of a saving to the farmers
These are the reasons that all public
contracts are let TO the lowest and
best bidder, for it is cheaper on the
tax payers, and the people generally
want to know how public monies are
being spent; and that they are get.
| ting value received, for all contracts
securing public contracts are required
| TO make a bond for the faithful per.
| formance of their contracts, and there.
! fore the peoples rights are protected
/ by this bond
/ "Do you think that the day labor
plan would be successful in working
all Of the roads in Carter county at
/ the same time. This huge plan to
/ properly protect the public funds.
would require from $50 TO 200 road
overseers, and they could not protect,
and get value received for this money,
unless they were competent men to
handle these large number of men and
| teams on the public roads. This
plan would be far more expensive
than to let the same by contract TO
~ I.
letting.
Revised Laws of 1910, Section
1920 page 207l, which provides
such bonds shall be issued in de-
nominations Of not less than $500
and payable not less than five nor
more than twenty-five years from
the date thereof, with interest not
TO exceed 8 per cent per annum,
which interest shall be payable
semiannually.
Heavy Tax Inevitable
by the time these bonds mature,
or at least by the last of them, all Of
the oil and gas will have been ex-
tracted from the Hewitt, Fox and
Graham oil fields. as most of the pro-
duction in the Healdton field is on
the pump and decreasing each year,
and the life of the ordinary oil field is
from 10 to Is years, and by the
time all of these bonds mature under
the proposed bond issue the revenue
from oil and gas will have been ex.
hausted some four or five years prior
to the time of the maturity of the
| hnndc nd mill
have to be paid from the ad valorum
taxes upon the peoples property, which
will render a heavy tax burden upon
the people and in some cases amount
to confiscation Of their property and
the roads built by said bond issue
will have beensworn out and destroyed
by the rains and floods during this
time.
Regardless of which plan the com.
missioners adopt, the consulting engi-
neer furnished or recommended by the
State Highway Department would
draw not less than $4,000 of this bond
money, as this is the least compen.
sation that a competent engineer could
be secured for, ordinarily from five
to ten per cent of the bond issue is his
fees. Another reason why this $500.
600 bond issue should not carry is that
the city manager and board Of city
commissioners Of Ardmore are ad.
| vocating q bond issue for the building
Of an ample water supply. for the city
Of Ardmore. No one will doubt the ad.
visibility of these bonds for they
are absolutely necessary to the welfare
of Ardmore, but to vote a county wide
road bond along with the water bonds
would make a double taxation on the
citizens of Ardmore, within n period
of six months, and the road bonds
would not help the unemployed living
in the city Of Ardmore, as one of the
main objects would be to help the
farmers in Carter county.
Total Bonded Indebtedness
"Our total bonded indebtedness is
$4,0l0, ,542.09 Our assessed valuation
for 1921 is s32 .9S0, $500 Our bonded
Indebtedness is more than l2 per cent
of our assessed valuation.
"Mr. Taxpayer don't you think that
it is time TO quit voting bonds. until
we pay part Of our bonded indebted.
ness, only Akers and Graham Town.
ships are not burdened with bond Is.
sues, to vote these bonds at this time
in my opinion, would be a greater