Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-04-15
Bonds for Permanent
Roads


constructing hard surfaced
roads.
The present system of direct
taxation for the purpose Of road
building is neither satisfactory
nor adequate. The state now, is
collecting Scent gasoline tax.
one cent of which goes to the
highway department, one cent
goes to the counties for road
building or maintenance, the
other cent being used to retire
hypothecated State. railroad
rental notes.
With only one cent - two
cents later Ont viii require
many years to build an ade-
quate system of hard-surfaced
roads in Georgia. In the mean
time Other states are forging
ahead Of Georgia. Florida, to
the south, and North Carolina,
to the North, have almost com
pleted their systems. while
Georgia struggles along in the
mud.
The terrible cost of automo-
bile upkeep and higher cost per
mile travelled is a greater tax than
the interest on bonds. A most
intelligent and comprehensive
statement on this phase of the
question appeared in the Macon
Telegraph, as follows:
There are at this time some
thing like 100000 motor vehicles
in Georgia. Sixty per cent Of
these are Ferds, Upon a fair
estimate as to value, the total
amounts to $150,000,000. Eight
cen months is guessed as the av-
erage life of a vehicle. But for
easy figuring, place all of them
atatwo years. The depreciation,
If this be correct, is SIS, 100000
per,annunl. Byyp paving all of the
5000 miles of the State system,
one year could easily be added to
the entire number of machines,
(Which would mean an annual. saw
ing on this item of .$37, 100000.
In Kentucky a test was made
with So Fords for a term of one
year. Half of the number were
placed on average Kentucky
roads and the other half were
kept on pavement. At the end of
the test period the difference in
cost Of operation and upkeep was
zoo. cents per mile, depreciation
net included, The cost items in
cluded difference in gas consum-
ed oil, tires, springs, bolts, work,
etc.
Figuring Georgia cars at an
average of 10000 miles per an
nun, the same test applied to all
Ieorgla cars would amount to
$59,O00,000 per annum. Add to
this the $75,000,00O deprecia-
ton, and we have 1926, 900, 900
per year being poured into Ak
ron, Ohio, and Detroit, Mich. and
INTO the pockets of the oil refin-
ers, out Of this State-unneces
sarily.
Say that the figuring is all
Wrong-that it isn't half this
mich; or fourth this much. or
an eighth this much-if an eighth
1t Is still $16,O00,000.
With one hundred millions in,
ponds, to be issued about S1O.-
O0U,OO0 per annum or whatever
sum may be estimated as eco
nomically disable, this to be
matched by Federal funds, the
entire State System could be
paved. AS 10 per cent of the
system becomes paved, increase
the, tag taxes by 10 per cent and
so on until the system becomes
completely paved, and the tag
taxes doubled. This should weld
about 100000 per annum,
and the gas tax about $1,000
600 eventually, which would pay
maintenance and interest and the
sinking fund with which to pay
off the bonds. In the meantime
and IN addition we should we
should be keeping in Georgia
some Of the millions that are
now going out in unnecessary
waste on. automobiles.
If we put out 100000 per
anhum in interest and payment
on bonds, and saving on one
eighth basis as figured above,
our investment would be netting
us one hundred per cent, the diff
ference between the $8,O00,00O
outlay for interest and payment
on principal and the $16,000,-
900 saved.
The great trouble with our
present arrangement is that the
people have invested big sums Of
money in rolling stock to provide
transportation instead of using
railroads as previously, and they
haven't provided any road bed, as
the railroads have to do. The
people are running their locomo-
tlves and cars up and down the
State without any rails, or cross
ties or even dirt road bedsLand
they are paying p big penalty.
Suppose the railroads were to