The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-11-07


 bers of the legislature and other in- terested persons who assembled at the capitol for a conference with the state highway commission. The meeting referred the program of in- dependent action by the state in road building, and maintenance Cf state roads by counties to the various county boards of revenue for their approval or rejection.
 Governor William w. Brandon, chairman of the state bond commis- he will favor building Of roads with state bond money exclusively only wien such a policy has been dis cusssd and indorsed by the people of the state.
 Brandon Opposed To Change.
 The governor declared that he had told the people from the stump that federal money would match the state bond funds, and that he would not change from the policy of Issuing bonds only as federal money is avail able unless it is the popular wish
 'T will be governed in my vote as a member of the bond commission by what the people want" Governor Brandon stated.
 It was at this suggestion that the question of road building by the state alone was referred to the vari- ous county boards of revenue, with the suggestion that they call mass meetings in their respective counties, ascertain the wishes of the people. ard take official action on the matter.
 President John Rogers of the state highway commission introduced the resolution which declared it to be the sense of the meeting that the state should build roads to connect I,e riN from Ga1 Q Of state bonds alone when federal funds available have been obtained, and the companion resolution advocating the maintenance by the counties of reads to be built byAthe state in the future until the state obtains money with which to maintain these roads through the highway department Declares Process Too Slow.
 In speaking to the first resolution. Senator Rogers declared that federal aid will be available to Alabama at so slow a rate that only three miles of road per county per year can be built if the commission adjusts the issuance of state bonds to keep pace with availability of federal money. At present the amount of road work under construction in Alabama Is nearly $13, 5000 President Rogers stated. He pointed cut that this large volume of work is possible through the accumulation of federal aid apportioned to Alabama before the state was ready to match 1t.
 In the future, he said. federal funds apportiened to Alabama will approx innate only a million and half dol lars a wear. which with an equal aiatunt of state funds will give a total expenditure of only three mil lion dollars a year. or less than one fourth the present volume. At this rate it will take twenty years to connect the various county sites, President Rogers estimated.
 Advocates Big Bond Issue.
 The program which he suggested in lieu of this waiting policy involves the issuance Of S14,000, ,0O0 worth of state highway bonds in the next three years Six millions of this would be used to match federal funds and build hard surfaced roads. It was explained that while the federal appropriation is only about s1,50o,O 900 per year. it will be possible to an ticipate one year and get six mil lions of federal money in the three wear period. The other eight mil lions of state bond money to be is sueG in the three years would be used according to the Rogers plan, for connecting county sites with roads graded and drained and With bridges built, but With surlacinS to be done later.
 President Rogers stated that it IS better from aR engineering stand point that the surfacinG of road De not done immediately after grading. If was stated that the auto license rnt nev 10 provide for interest and sinking fund on highway bonds will become available fast enough to al low the S14,O00.000 of state bonds to be issued in three years
 other states Cited By Rogers.
 President Rogers said other pro- gressive states are not holdlhg up their road building programs to wait on federal aid; that it is better to rive the people roads with state money alone than to keep them wait ing on federal aid. He also men tioned that no federal ald Will De lost on Alabama, but that the state will continue to take up all the req eral money available.
 Concerning the resolution whereby the county boards of revenue would maintain the state roads to pc punt in the future, it was held that the counties have the gasoline tax money and may reasonably be expected to keep up the roads.
 when asked as to what means the state would have of seeing that the counties do their part in maintalning roads President Rogers stated that 1T this policy of maintenance is adopted the state would refuse further aid to the county which failed to do it's part in the maintenance ana would count an the good faith of the counties.
 O o O
 No County Bound By Action.
 The two resolutions were at first presented in the form of q resolution by boards of revenue and courts Of county commissioners in conference assembled. Some objection was raised to the official form being used in the resolution and attention was called to the fact that many of those pres ent were not members of county boards or commissioners courts The resolutions were amended and adopt ed by the entire mass meeting with all present entitled to vote. Their adoption carried with it reference to the county boards for action by the county mass meetings and no county was bound by action taken today.
 Judge Fred Winkler of Butler county opposed the Endorsement of the resolutions by the meeting today, and offered in lieu a substitute pro- viding that the Rogers resolutions be referred to various county boards for their consideration without indorse- ment by the conference today. This substitute was tabled by a vote of 50 to T and the resolutions then adopted together by a practically unanimous vote, which was later made unani- nous.
 Fears To Disappoint Belief.
 Senator Bonner of Wilcox and Sem ator Craft of Mobile strongly advo- cated the resolutions, which also hxrT Al nf PTrf-