The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-11-23

| WAO W6o 1C-N1CGtCA ht NOAA been carried on under adverse con | ditions providing for the publication | of the report of the federal bureau of public roads on the work of the state highway department, giving the | president of the association full pow CT to organize the campaign, pro- | viding for the organization of each county and thanking the newspapers of Alabama for the work they have done and are still doing for the | advancement of the cause of good roads.
 The auditing committee reported | that accountants had made an ex- animation of the records of the a-sso- f citation and had found the books properly kept and reports of all re- ceipts and disbuprsements properly | made.
 Bond Importance Stressed. Addresses on the importance of the | impending campaign for the ratifica- ton of the constitutional amendment which will permit the state to issue and sell state bonds to the value of $25, ,000. .O00 for the construction and maintenance of system of perma- | nent roads were delivered during the l first reorganization session by Judge William W. Brandon of Tuscaloosa. unopposed candidate for governor of | Alabama; Congressman w. B. Oliver of the Sixth district; State Senator John A. Rogers of Sumter. chairman of the state highway commission; | Mrs. Kate G. Hagan of Mobile, prest- dent of the Alabama League of Wom- l en Voters, and Nthan L. Miller of Bir- mingham, lieutenant governor. | The first session was devoted to ret-together meeting. in which any | one of the 200 delegates representing a great majority of the counties were given the privilege of asking ques- tons and obtaining answers from those in authority which would aid In answering any argument which might be presented against the ratiri- cation of the amendment.
 Senator Rogers went into details in his address in explaining what work | the state highway commission must | do before any road project can be ac- cepted by the federal bureau of pub lie roads and before one penny of fed eral funds may be set apart for the construction of any particular project.
 Mir. Rogers said under the present | law the federal government proposes | to spend in Alabama not less than | $1, ,500, 900 annually provided the state | will match this amount. He ex- pressed the opinion that the appro- priation will be greatly increased if | the disarmament conference obtains an agreement among the powers of l the world for a reduction in arma- | ment
 "The<state bond issue fs the | only means which Alabama has
 for matching the federal appro-
 priation.r said Chairman Rogers. l Al ~,at4a Atxn | issue this state win be unable to continue to obtain the federal ap- propriation and the funds which nre set apart for this state will be
 reapportioned among the other states which are able to match | the appropriation. This state | issaae will touch only one source
 of revenue. the automobile H. | censes, which will be used fin pay ing interest and creating sink
 ing fund for the retirement of the bonds as they become due. The | revenue from automobile licenses
 will be sufficient to pay interest
 and create the Sinking fund and
 there will he mo need to touch
 other revenues.
 Win Not Increase License
 There will be no need for any | further increase in automobile n- censes If the bond Issue Is carried. but If by chance the bond issue should be defeated. 1t probably will be nec- essary to make another increase in automobile licenses so the state can | obtain at least a portion Of the fed- eral appropriation"
 Senator Rogers expressed the opin- ion that little trouble, if any. will be l faced In disposing of Alabama road bonds when they are issued as sfate bonds of Alabama now are at prem ium above the bonds of all other states at this time.
 pr. J. M. Clark of Russellville fn- terrupted to ask Senator Rogers what the state highway Commission pro- | posed to do with the surplus of the s25.ooo,o0o bond issue after each 1 county has been given s25o.oo0 as provided by the amendment. MT. Rogers answered that 1t would not be fair to require counties bordering on navigable streams to pay the total [ cost of constructing bridges because persons for hundreds of miles would obtain the benefit of the bridges and ] that the highway commission proposes 1 to use a portion of the surplus in con structing such bridges and in con- structing such roads as would not be properly chargeable against any par | ticular counties.
 Senator Rogers went into details l In explaining how the highway com mission has spent funds already ap- propriated and showed maps and blue prints to indicate what the< federal government requires. He said reports that the highway commission had used an enormous amount in making surveys was not true. He read ex- cerpts from a report of federal in vestigators who made an inspection of the books and records of the state highway department. The federal ex- perts reported that the administra- $ion of the funds in Alabama was ef- fective. efficient and economical. the overhead cost reasonable and the en- gineering costs compared favorably with those of other states.
 Funds safeguarded. MT. Rogers also explained to the association that the state highway commission does not handle any of the highway funds and does not pur- chase any supplies. Contracts are let HI Saddle and Buggy Horses II III Also H