Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-04-05
DISCUSSING THE STATE HIGHWAY DE.

RTMENT-Dscussng the criticism OF the
State Highway Department, The Moultrle OBJ
server says:
The State has been slow about getting off to start
The people have become impatient The gasoline tax
and the automobile tag have to be paid regularly,
and bp sums of money are raised in this way and very
little OF it has been finding its way back into the cour-
ties paying it.
There has been a lot of organization work to do.
Experienced men could be found every case.
The engineering department has been working on plans
This foundation work is expensive without showing
any tangible results the payer Maybe are get
ting the day when shall the State High
way Commission unctioning in manner to our liking.
The goes to the foundation of a lot OF critsm
thus:
There is doubtless a lot of petty politics in the COM
plants and criticisms heard.
And Joins the Gazette in the suggestion that
the Department take the public more into its con
hdence: .
We again suggest that the State Highway Depart
ment needs to add more expense 1t needs press
agent that ascertain facts and present them to the
public in an understandable way If Georgia is soon
educated and enlightened the matter Of what the
State Highway Department is doing, the law will be re-
peaed and road constructor will be approached in diff
ferent way.
1t alright for the enemies OF the Highway Depart
be in the dark but will not do for the friends
OF the Department be in the darkandn doubt.
We are pleased to note that to certain extent
this is being done. Also, by way of keeping the
record straight, it might be well enough again
remind that the gasoline tax does not go to the
State Highway Dcparrennt 1t was mortgage
loI another purpose.-TiftOn Gazette.
The Triton Gazette and Moultre Observer are
advising the State Highway Department, in recent
issues of their papers, that this Department add
press agent to their department Well, boys you
about three months behind the times. The
State Highway Department has already remed-
led this defect ard the result is that Georgia
Highways" a splendid Magazine, was launched
March !, and carries pages OF interesting INFORM.
ton about the doings of our Highway Department
Among other valuable data presented is a COM
plete list OF the autos and trucks in each county
and the amount of license fees collected from each
This information will stop good deal 1i the agi-
taton about aloting the money thus collected tc
the counties paying it in, it is shown that only
a very few counties would reap much revenue
from this source for their road work, and SIX
OF the larger counties would receive total OF
Soo5,49ZOO, or about l-3 of the total amount col
lected for automobile tags. If these amounts were
applied only to the counties paying them in, they
could pave every foot of the roads in their respec
tive counties without bonds or other revenues in
a few years. but the rest of the State would still
be in the mud
The best solution to this road problem is to vote
a sufficient bond issue to give the entire state a
permanent system of connecting roads, and get
them completed within a few years so that the
present generation at least can enjoy their use In
1922 we had l44,5S4 trucks and passenger auto
mobiles IN Georgia which paid to the State license
taxes to the amount of $l,S30,54 49, one third OF
which was paid by auto owners in six OF our coun-
ties. Fulton, Dekalb, Bib, Chatham, Muscogee
and Richmond
Marion county, the home of the Big Noise
against the State Highway Department. and the
advocate of allocating the auto taxes to the Sari
Gus counties, has 2Sl autos and trucks within its
border and pays the sum of $352o22. enough to
build about one mile of sandclay road