The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1923-11-30
NOT MUCH FOR
FIRST DISTRICT
Not Much for This Section in
Final Letting of $50,000,000
Road Bond Issue Of 1921.

I
week of the fifty million dollar
road bond issue OF the General
J Assembly of 1921, the First
District Of the State Highway
system was second lowest.
Only one contract for this dis
trict was let out of the last Of
the fifty millions, and that was
for bridge between Hcrtford
and Gates Counties which is TO
cost $l34,64773.
The Third District got the least
of any District except the First.
The County of Brunswick i'm the
Third District is TO get $50 miles
of sand gravel road 10 cost $9S.997.
The Ninth District in the western
end Of the state. gets the biggest
slice of the road money, bridges and
structures i'm that district will cost
more than n half milliOD-tO he
exact, $5S2.1l7.1O.
With the final letting of the first
bond issue. this leaves the $4,000
600 Of the 1923 bond issue to lie
spent. Unless North Carolina votes
for more bonds. it will be mp TO the
First District to 20 after some of
the $15,000,000 with gloves off, or
go without roads thereafter.
With low bids aggrcgating ST.
4l9,353.1S submitted on is projects
by 123 contractors this week the
last of the fifty million dollar road
bond issue authorized by the Gene
raj Assembly of 1921 was obligated.
Since April /, 1921 when the
Highway Commission was reorgan-
iZed under the COnnOr-DOughton-
Bowie road bill, contracts. imclud-
ing Tuesdays issue. have been let
aggregating $54, ,4SI, ,J9S.1S. Four
and a half million of amount was
derived from Federal Aid funds.
Approximately $500 miles Of
road, LOO miles of which are hard
surfaced. have been built, are under
construction or under contract.
Several hundred miles of road have
been rebuilt under the State main
tenance system and the remainder
of the State system Of highways
brought up TO q modern standard.
Since 1919 when Frank Page he
came Highway Commissioner $500
miles or road have been built.
Tuesdays letting is the last
scheduled for 1922. Since Dccrm.
her /. 1922 slightly more than ! 200
miles of read of various types, more
than 800 miles of which is bard
surfaced, have been lei To contract,
and during the year about the same
mileage has been c'smpIcted. Nc
more letting will hc held until late
i'm January when approximately leo
miles additional will be placed under
contract.
Two thousand miles OF gravel.
sand-clay and macadamiZed roads
have been built. The entire system
of 6,OS1 miles have h"Cm mp,lcrniZ-
ed and the maintenance organiza-
tiOn perfected 10 keep them always
in scrviccahlc condition. Tho next
step i'm the development of the pro-
gram of road building in the State
is yet 10 be- worked ont. But il il
regarded as unlikely that the next
few years will SEQ Il duplication Of
the aaiviticS Of the past two years.
The outstanding highway in the
State is the Central Highway,
reaching from Beaufort to Murphy.
n distance of GnG miles. Three pro-
iccts included In Tuesdays bidding
extend the paving of that read II
miles and leave only the Smiihficid-
GoldsborO link, and some short sec
tionS west Of AShpvillc unpavcd.
These will he eliminated during the
coming year.
Most of the route between Viii
mingion and Ashevillc has been pro-
vi6pd with permanent paving. Civ
ing another eaSt-wcSt route. North-
South routes have been paved in
the coastal plain, i'm the Piedmont
and in the Mountain sections OF the
staff. West of Greensboro The
Boone Trail, reaching across the
Blue Ridge into the Lost Provinces
has been paved. More than bait The
length of Route 80 from Raleigh 10
the counties beyond the AIb"marIo- p
sound has been paved. Route 10
north of Raleigh 10 the Virginia
line is provided with paving.
The camiaign recently inauguart-
ed for cnlarginG Chowan College
library at MuriroesborO is bring
ing to light many rare old prints
which have long slumbered in OBJ
liViOn i'm FORGOTTEN nOOfS and crew