The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1922-05-19

The following correspondence be-
tween the Editor of The Sentinel ana
Hon J. NJ. McBeth is self-explana-
tory:
Grenada, Miss, May 10, 1922.
''Hon. J. NJ. McBeth,
Chairman State Highway Com,
Jackson, Miss.
my dear sir:
II saw in the daily press of yes
teday statement credited to you re-
lative TO the State Highway Depart
= IL taking over all roads, and main
..nng them, built with state or fed
eral funds | would thank you to
amplify or explain just what is meant
and whether or not when any road is
once taken over by your Department
can it be taken back by the County
AS / understand, the roads taken
over will be kept up and maintained
without any cost whatever to the
counties through which they pass.
Should your Department not have
these roads turned over to it, then
what would be done with the auto
mobile tax and gasoline fund men,
IiOICO. SOuiO Tic Sdlu DG uS6O
by the counties otherwise?
Thanking you in advance for an
early reply and for whatever other
suggestions you care to give me rela-
tive to road matters and road build
ing, l am, with kindest personal re-
CARDS.
Yours truly,
80. F. Lawrence.
To the above letter Mr.. McBeth
replied as follows, and it will be OBJ
served from his letter that if the
counties do not turn over" the
aforementioned roads to the Highway
Department, the funds would be used
elsewhere. However, in passing, it
is not amiss to say that the price of
$500. per mile for maintenance seems
to be highly excessive:
Meridian, Miss, May IL, 1922.
"Mr. 0. F. Lawrence,
Grenada, Miss.
Dear Mr.. Lawrence:
"Your letter of May 10th. In the
bill which became a law November 9th
1921, the Federal Congress required
that the State Highway Department
maintain all roads built with Federal
aid under penalty of stopping all
further funds, unless this was done.
This makes it imperative that the
State Highway Commission have
charge of the maintenance of these
roads. The Board of Supervisors of
the different counties, many of them
will not maintain the roads and if
the Federal government after inspec-
ton, gave notice that any road was
not being maintained, then if it was
not put in proper state of main
tenance within ninety days, the gov
ernment would do it and all further
Federal Aid would be withdrawn.
"The last Legislature turned over
to the Highway Department for this
purpose, 500 of the automobile tax
and 40% of the gasoline tax. We
figure this will be ample to maintain
these Federal aid roads for the next
two years, at cost Of about $4,000
a mile per annum. The counties have
500 of the automobile tax and 4O%
of the gasoline tax to be used for
the maintaining of other roads than
Federal aid roads.
Answering your interrogatory will
say, that the Board of Supervisors
and if they do not want the State
Highway Department to spend this
automobile and gasoline tax money
for maintining the roads, of course
we cannot do so, but these funds set
aside by the Highway Department
cannot be spent by the Board Of Sup
.ervisors. Nearly every county in the
State having Federal aid roads have
requested the Highway Department to
take them over for maintenance, but
9 few seem to be holding back. I
wish you would see in this County,
the difference between a road being
maintained by the Highway Depart
ment and one maintained by the
Board of Supervisors. / believe, if
you could do so, you would see the
wisdom.
ssIf have not answered you fully.
please let me know and l will gladly
undertake to do so.
with assurances Of my personal
regards, am,
s'Yours truly, -
~. M. McBeth,
New Chairman"