Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1923-11-29
State Road Bonds

The good roads amendment TO the
constitution, which was necessary to
the establishment of state system
and the act of 1921 passed pursuant
thereto, made vital change in the
method in financing road contraction.
It was provided in the amendment,
that the legislature should have pow
er to issue and sell state bonds, the
aggregate amount of which, at any
one time, hould not exceed fifty mil
lion dollars. In addition to the pro-
ceeds Of these bonds, the state road
fund receives the money obtained
from licenses, registration fees Of
owners, chauffeurs, operators, and
dealers in automobiles or motor
driven vehicles, the proceeds Of the
state tax on gasoline, and the states
SHARE of thu money appropriated by
the congress- Of the Uniged States
for distribution as federal aid.
What GLASS A" Road Is
Since the passage Of the good roads
law Of 1917, and especially since
the state took over certain roads
from each county under the act Of
1921, much has been heard of Glass
A" roads. As the proportion Of state
funds expended in each country by
the State Road Commission is gov
erned almost entirely by the mileage
of "Class A" roads in each county,
this is obviously one Of the most inn
porant and interesting points cover
ed by the statutes.
The act of 1917 defined .'Class Az
roads clearly, and provided for their
designation in detail. The statute
says in part:
sThe roads in Glass A shall in
clude all main county roads to be
established as hereinafter provided,
and receiving federal or state aid"
The method of such establishment
is provided as follow:
"As soon as practicable after this
act goes into effect, the state road
commission shall prepare map Of
the State showing suggested gen.
era1 statewide system of inter-coun-
ty roads, and shall send to the coun-
ty court of each county a copy of
such map or of such portion there
of as may relate to said county and
the counties bordering thereon. The
county court of each county shall,
as soon as practicable after receiv-
ing such map, and not to exceed
ninety days thereafter designate to
be established as "main county roads
two or more main throughfares
roads, highways, or routes for the
location of same through said coun-
ty and extending to the borders Their
Of, but of said routes may traverse
or include portion of any other
designated road or route. The court
shall certify such designation to the
state road commission for approval
or rejection. If the said commission
shall ascertain that each of the roads
or routes 50 designated is SO located
as to lead to the county seat OF an
adjoining or adjacent county, or to
an important commercial center
thereof, or to an adjoining state, and
that each of said roads will connect
at the border of said county with a
like road so designated or establish
ed by the county court of another
county under the provisions hereof,
or connect at such border with the
road of an adjoining state, and shall
also ascertain that such roads or
routes are practical, and that the
same are located with due regard to
the development of statewide sys-
tenn of inter-county roads, the COM
mission shall approve two of the
roads SO designated in each county
and certify it's approval to the coun-
ty court; or the commission, # it
finds that the roads or routes so de-
signed by said court are not practi-
cal and do not comply with the pro-
visions Of this act, may submit to
said court, roads and routes which
it will approve"
In other words, "Class A" roads
are simply two of the main routes in
each county, selected by the county
courts, and approved by the original
State Road Commission of two mem
| bers, as provided by the law of 1917.
How Funds Are Apportioned
These "Class A" roads were select
ed and established before the act Of
1921, creating the present State Road
Commission, was passed. In the act
of 1921, it was provided that eighty
| percent of the entire sum to be ex-
L IL =