The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-07-05
WHITE STATES NEW. ROUTE WOULD HURT. OTHER ROAD WORK.
Puts Blame on Revenue Board for Any Change in Mont gomery HighWay-SayS
 Cost Prohibitive

Opposing any change in the route of the Montgomery highway from Birmingham to Pelham, Capt Frank s. White issued a statement yester- day in which he declared that con- struction of the proposed route along the old Louisville and Nashville right-of-way would require all or most of the $25o,00o allotted to Jef- ferson county, and deprive other roads of the right to share in the funds. Shelby county would be in the same fix, he stated. The board of revenue, he declared, would be re- sponsible ior any change.
 The present highway Is graded and oherted. with bridges across ! all streams from here to Pelham and a hard-surfaced road from here to the top of Shades mountain he states. A new concrete and steel bridge, is in course of construction across the Cahaba river. In all he states that Jefferson county has ex- pended s250,000 on this road and z the federal government about $160,- GOO.
 The new road through Park wood and Helena which s. R. Bat son, Jefferson county member of ahe state highway commission Is seeking will cost $1,000,000, declares Captain White. If federal aid can be ob- tained to the extent of paying half of this amount" he adds, then it will entail upon Jefferson and Shel- by counties to expend approximate ly half million dollars are S250,00o each"
 Initial Share
 In order that this road may be built, Captain White says. that the highway commission must devote the $25O, GOO initial share of Jefferson county from the $25, ,000 road fund entirely to this project and the same would be true for Shelby county. If all of Jefferson county's quota Is de- voted to this road, then he points out all other roads will suffer.
 Shelby county which he states will not get any more at any time than S250000 from the bond issue is financially paralyzed. He points out that Shelby county has outstanding debts in the form of judgment which she is being forced to pay under mandamus from the federal court and that she is being forced to levy the full constitutional limit to pay these adjustments. Under these con- ditions he states the application of Shelbys quota from the bond fund to the proposed road would leave the county without a penny for other Co I,o Au bA ty will be unable to straighten and hard surface even the Montgomery highway from Pelham through the county 22 miles to the Chiffon coun- ty line. thereby leaving a gap in the road which may continue indefi- niteiy.
 hlr White quotes a letter writ ten hy Commissioner Batson to the board Of revenue asking if the coun- ty would keep up the present route provided a new road is built. The reply of Chairman D. c. Ball, chair man of the board, was to the effect that the county would guarantee the upkeep of the road.
 Blames Board of Revenue
 ''This action of the board of reve- nue is ncomprehensible," declares Mir. White "as they are directly re- sponSlDie to the peopie oA JoiAerson county for expending the money of the county. If the board of revenue, by encouraging and aiding Mir. Bat son in the construction of this new road appropriates s25o.ooo of the peoples money to this one enter prise what Is to become of the other highways, for instance the Bank head highway, crossing the entire county from Leeds to the Walker county line; the Dixie highway run ning from Gadsden to Tuscaloosa; the Bee-Line highway running from Birmingham to Decatur and Athens