The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1921-08-09

US sometime ago OIL dll lllSLdHCe WHcl
: an apology was made to a depart
ment head for cutting his estimate
40 per cent. "Oh," said the official,
chat is all right, when we made the
estimate we looked for a cut of so
per cent" We have felt justified in
believing that ruse of this kind was
put over on Gov. Cooper last winter
when demand of ten million dollars
was made for running the State gov
ernment. 1t looks bad, but it looked
worse then. for these departments
to make such outrageous demand up
on panicky people when the bottom
has dropped out of business and ev-
erything else There is no stealing in
our opinion, but there has been ex-
travagance, useless bureaus and too
many easy jobs for the good of the
taxpayers. So much by way of intro
! duction, and we now proceed with
our knitting. We are not unreason-
able. We know that the Federal au-
thorities are now spending millions of
money on roads, state highway com
mission is mandatory. Whether it is
wisdom or not, depends upon individ-
ual opinion. Our own view is that
this thing of a great centralized gov
ernment in Washington, taking over
roads, schools, business and pretty
much every other function of state
, rights, is a fatal mistake. There is
very little left to our state govern
ment except the right to spend money
and they do that to the queens taste.
That the state highway commission
should spend over a hundred thous
and dollars for it's own maintenance
is the rankest kind of extravaganza.
Newspapers have made the charge
that 40 odd clerks up to the last sit
ting of the legislature were employed.
incompetence, besides, has been
charged against it. Let us cite a
small but concrete case. A traveller
up the state road from st. Matthews
to Columbia will note somes signs as
he goes along. In the report for this
county, after demand for details,
it was found that S148.00 had been
paid for these signs which should not
have cost over $500. Let us take
bigger case. The three steel bridges
up the same road to Columbia foot up.
all told, 1900 square feet and cost
s24,O0o.oo.
/. - sat-
The steel and concrete bridge over
"Flea Bite" just below Cameron and
built by the county, measures 60 feet
long and 1S feet wide, or 1880 square
feet and COS, for material, labor and
guards, $3,415.75. The i bridge at
Cameron may not be as aesthetic, but,
we understand, is fully as substantial,
and will last as long. Any blind man
may ,conjure with these figures as
much as he pleases and he can come
to no other conclusion than that there
was was an enormous waste Of money in
the upper bridges. The state high
way Commission has taken over the
road from the Orangeburgshne to St.
Matthews, and from the Elloree line
to Columbia by way of Sts Matthews.
The chaingang is building these roads,
as, it was forced to do, in view of the
SMALL allowance for its Hhintenance
and which it should do. Let us
presume that the roads have been
completed, which they are not, and
for which at least six months will yet
be required. What about their main
tenance? The 2-mill road tax will be
under the supervision of the commits
sion and will be something more than
| 100000. The auto tag tax is
around S5,000.0O The total will be
$13, 100000. 1t is argued that the
commission can take over more
through, roads as the fund increases
and requires. But are there no roads
except those for tourists, who pay
none of our taxes? If there,is any one
thing, more than another, needed in
| the road system Of Calhoun county.
lit is another floating gang The
regular gang is now on the state sys-
item and will be for months to come.
Even the floating gang has been on
similar road for some time between
tElloree and St. Matthews. Are there
no other roads in the county? And
have the others no rights in the prem
Uses? All we have ever asked for is
that 80 per cent of the auto. tag tax
be given to us that we may have an.
!! other floating crew. Is there anything
unreasonable about this? There was