The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-02-18
ROAD FUNDS
ARE POWDERED
Sill Continue Problem Be.
fore Appropriations
Committee
I'he Times. News HuceaI
Sir A"rlrp- FUtpl

Sir Wrlte- F"irl
/ RALEIGH. Feb. 1S.-One OF
The most difficult items confront
ing the appropriations committee
at this time is that of highway
| funds. The past two sessions OF
the committee have been devolved
almost altogether TO a discussion
Of highway money, with one fac
ton holding out for an appropria,
ton of S4,000,000 more than the
budget commission recommended
and another group fighting fOl
acceptance of the budget commits
Sion's figures.
The former group is unalter,
ably opposed to any highway fund
diversion. and believes that any
diversion of this money would III
evitably mean the impairment OF
the necessary maintenance of the
states $4,000 miles of state and
county highways, representing an
investment of more than $780,
100000. The budget commission
recommended the diversion of
S2,00O,000 of highway money to
the general fund. and based its
figures on that eventuaiity.
! Others hold a still different
view that. due to decreased collec-
ton of revenue, there will be
little if anything to divert from
the highway fund. The group
fighting for an appropriation of
$4,000,000 in excess OF the bud
get commissions figures point out
that should there Ne ar excess of
highway revenue over and above
the appropriation. it Should be al
lowed to accumulate in the treas
ury as a reserve fund for the fu-
ture highway uses, or for any
other emergency work approved
by the director of the budget.
A subcommittee headed by
Senator John Sprunt Hill, which
was appointed to investigate eX-
penditures of the state highway
commission and to make recon-
mendations for the departments
appropriations, recommended to
the full committee that S16,765,-
10 be given the department for
the year 1933-34 and that &c.,
709,S90 be awarded the depart
ment for 1934-35. These figures
are about 100000 above those
proposed by the budget commits
sion.
The chief difference between
the two sets of figures is that
whereas the subcommittee esti-
mates it will take $2,200,000 for
state highway maintenance in
1933-34, the budget commission
thinks the figure should be held to
S1.8OO,0O0. The subcommittee
would set aside 100000 for
state highway maintenance in
1934-35, as against the budget
commission recommendation Of
$1,600,000. County road mainten-
ance for the biennium was fixed
bv the subcommittee at $780, |
900, while the budget commission
would hold this { wn to $780,
600.
The problem before the COM
mittee SINNERS down to some
thing like this: Everyone knows
that highway revenues will be |
much less for the next two years. |
Collections from gasoline and IL
cense taxes have decreased. There
is every indication to believe that
hey will continue to decrease.
The amount. of revenue that will
come into the highway fund for
the next two years is mostly
guess-work. and one persons
guess is about as good as an
others.
The subcommittee plan is to
take an optimistic outlook, and
start at the top. so to speak. 1t
holds that should revenue not be
as much as it anticipates, the bud
get director could step in and
trim things. The budget commits
sion. on the other hand, apparent
~ believes in the principle that
the appropriations committed
should start at the bottom, to be-
gin with. The full committee has
not yet passed on the matter.
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