Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1922-02-17
ROAD SITUATION
! IS CLEARING UP
COMMISSIONER COLEMAN is vim.
DICTATED BY LEGISLATIVE
COMMITTEE.
BOND ISSUE NOW PROBABLE
Will Be Deferred Serials Payable In
installments And To Run
80 Years.
BOND ISSUE NOW PROBABLE

the Legislative Committee, and the
complete vindication of Commissioner
Coleman, who is recognized as one OF
the leading Highway Commissioners
ID the country, the road situation Is
rapidly clearing in the General Assem-
/ bly,, and it Is predicted that the pro
| gram OF the Virginia Good Roads Is.
sociation will be adopted by the Leg
| islature, and the State will go forward
| with its sister states In a great good
| roads construction program. during
| the administration of Governor
Trinx1e
The Virginia Good Roads Associa.
ton bill, which was introduced in the
Senate by Senators Goolrick, Waugh
! an, Garrett and Rison has been intro
duced in the House of Delegates by
Delegates Willis, Henley, Dotson and
Rev, and it IS expected that both Sen
ate and House committees will
promptly report the bill and that it
will be passed by both Houses. This
bill meets the criticisms directed at
the Highway Department during the
past year, and transfers from Commits
sioner Coleman 10 the five new mem
bcrs OF the Highway Commission. who
will be appointed by Governor Trinkle
and serve during mis- administration.
the DUTY Of deciding between routes
allocating construction funds or de-
termining the order of priority Of con
struct5pn, and awarding contracts for
construction.
1t is generally conceded that the
Byrd-Qzlin bill. which is opposed by
the Virginia Good Roads Association
and tha members of the Legislature,
who have been in the fight for good
roads for years, and which proposes
10 Ll=l Slate Commissioner Coleman out
Of otiiqa, will By promptly defeated, ii
eve rt00rJad out of committees. In
some 9tGer respects, this bill is sim
li.r TO tile bill eponsored BY The good
roal7 people in and out of the Leg
tslatura.
General G. c. Vaughan, Jr., and Col.
Thos. 3. McAaams. Who are rec
ognized as leading bankers in Virginia
and THE country at large, have prac-
tcaIly completed the details Of the
Oil providing for a bond issue to sup
plement State highway construction.
It has been deemed wise to adopt the
conservative course of authorizing
only a small bond issue of 1900, 600,
during the next two years, in order
thai fair test may be made before
going further The bond bill being
perfected will, therefore, provide for
$12 100000 to be issued by the Gov
ernor during 1922 and 1923, provided
he considers financial conditions fay-
orable. and is satisfied the money can
and will be economically and efficient
ly expended.
The financial situation is improving
so much that the bill will limit the
rate of interest to 41aqo and provide
that the bonds shall be sold at par,
and that a definite amount from the
present income for road construction
be set aside for the payment Of the
principal and interest of the bonds as
they mature. The bonds will be de-
ferred serials, payable in periodical in
stallments beginning In 1880, and no
bond will run for over thirty years.
The friends Of the good roads move
ment insist that the law shall require
the bonds and interest to be paid out
of the present road revenues without
any increase in taxes, and this feature
is meeting with approval of the men,
bers of the House, who were at first
apprehensive that taxes would be in
creased.
All highway funds now in the Treas
ury will be checked out during the
year 1922 on contracts now under way,
and the Highway Department is prac-
tically without funds for new construc-
ton, inasmuch as the 10 cent tax is
not collected until next December.
The total construction funds for this
year, including Federal funds, and ex-
GLIDING the funds reserved to pay for
contracts under way. amount to some,
thing over s4,50O,o0o. The Highway
Department has made surveys, and re
ports that it can economically expend
at least s10,O00,00o per year, so the
bond funds will be used to supplement
the current funds and enable the De
partment to go forward with COM
prehensive construction program and
close UP many of the unimproved links
In the State Highway System during
the next two years.
1t has been pointed out that the pay.
as-yo-go plan would delay construction
OF the entire highway system for eigh-
teen years, and the people are de-
manding that bonds be issued and the
system completed in six years, and
particularly that extensive work 80
forward while labor is abundant ana