The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-03-23
SUGGESTS SAVING FROM ROAD BONDS
 FOR COURTHOUSE
Huey, of Revenue Board, Would Limit County High way Issue and Provide for
 Adequate Court Room

If Jefferson county is to have a modern and up-to-date courthouse in the near future, it will be necessary to reduce the $5,000,000 bond issue to $4,000,000 and vote the extra money for courthouse purposes, according to Thomas E. Huey, member of the county board of revenue.
 That is the only chance the county has off securing a new courthouse he says, as the indebtedness of the coun- ty is s5754.oOo, including interest when constftutiona1ly the county can be bonded for only 15 per cent of it's property valuation.
 With this fact to deal with, there is no chance in long time to raise a sufficient amount or money to start construction on new courthouse, which is so badly needed in this county, it is stated.
 In a recent special charge to the grand jury, Judge William E. Fort ot the criminal division of the circuit court called attention of the members to the condition of the present court house. He declared it was an eyesore and wholly inadequate to handle the legal business of county this size. In speaking of the matter, MT Huey yesterday issued the following state Nment.
 Every now and then the question or a new courthouse for Jefferson coun- ty is intensely discussed by the citi- zens of this county, and every day the necessity for enlarged facilities for conducting the multitudinous affairs of great and rapidly growing county is becoming more apparent. The day must come, therefore, when a part of the resources of this county will or necessity be appropriated for the erec- ton of courthouse ample enough in size and arrangement to meet the con stanly increasing requirements of a densely populated community.
 NEED NEW BUILDING
 The day has already come when the need of a new building cannot be ig- nored, as all who-are employed in the present structure and all who come in attendance upon court or on other business will agree. But such pro. gressive step as to attempt to fernfti- late definite plans for the authoriza- ton of new county building has been discouraged by the ever present bug a-boo, which so often forms an en- tanglemeht against progress-7-imper- feet financial conditions.
 Yet there is a way which may be suggested herein for the people by their will to authorize the construc- tion of modern building which will b an economical asset and an adorn- ment to Jefferson county
 There is limitation on the .ndebt- cdr ess that counties of Alabama shall t--z A latx provides that no county shall become indebted in an amount greater than Si1 per centum of the assessed value of the property therein.
 ''The present assessed value of the real and personal property of Jeffsra son county as based on the 1919 vaf- uation. is $170,623,143 The assessed value of property, as fixed for 1929 by the board of tax adjusters of this county, is yet undetermined. It is, therefore impossible to say until the corclusion of the pending litigation what the assessed value of the proper ty in the county shall finally be foi 1920 Let us assume, however, as a basis of calculation, that the average asse ssed value of property for the en- suing four years will be $220,000. 900. The county would, under such condi- tions, be enabled to borrow three and a half (s1s) per cent of the, amount, or $7,700,0Q0. M hssS
 COUNTY DEBT
 "The present indebtedness of Jeffer> son county is itemized as follows: Bonded indebtedness ..... .$1. T36, 900 "Refunding road warrants ..5 115,00g Interest bearing road, and
 Bessemer courthouse and
 : jail warrants ............. 1,521.e0o
 These items do not include tenn porary loan certificates of $700,000, not chargeable against the 3h per cent debt limitation.
 Tn February, 1921, the voters au- thorized the issuance by the governing board of the county of $5.00o,000 in bonds for the purpose of constructing highways. S
 The writer is in full sympathy with all efforts looking toward the improvement and development of our highways. yet I was opposed to ask ing the people to authorize more than $3,00o000 at that time for the purpose of constructing roads, having, as thought, recognized the danger of bor- rowing up to the constitutional limita- ton. Those who advocated the issuancs of s5,000,000 of bonds, however, gave strong argument to the effect that the ---------------