Henderson daily dispatch. (Henderson, N.C.) 1914-1995, 1937-01-27

thorize a bond issue of this amount.
For, while he is naturally a conser-
Vatlve and opposed to any additional
State borrowing unless absolutely
necessary. Senator Halstead is con-
WINGED that there is absolutely no DOS
slb1l1ty OF the State collecting enough
highway revenue during the next few
years to enable the highway depart
ment to properly rebuild and main
tain the county highways without
having additional funds which can
only be obtained from a bond issue.
Il am fully aware. of course, that
even $25,O0OO0O will not go very far
on some $4,000 miles of unimproved
dirt roads, an I am cot advocating
the Use Of this $2.5 100000 in an at
tempt to pave ol hard surface the
county roads," Senator Halstead said.
Il know that this amount would be
entirely insufficient to carry on a
paving or surfacing program. But I
am convinced that the use of $25O0O,-
GOO in rebuilding county roads to the
extent of strengthening weak links,
applying crushed stone or gravel, or
in applying top soil and sand-clay
surfacing to these roads would go a
long way towards putting them in bet
ter condition and keeping them pass
able the year round so that the far
mers can get back and forth to town
and their markets with their trucks
and enable the school buses to OBJ
crate on schedule. At the present time,
rural schools have been closed in some
20 counties because the school buses
cannot get over the county roads. The
condition of these county roads is also
causing the loss of thousands of dol
lars a year in excessive wear and
tear on school buses.
"The raising of this $25,OOO,OOO with
which to help the rural portions of
the State will not cause the indivi-
dual taxpayer or automobile owner to
pay one cent more in taxes than he
is now paying, since the same gasoline
tax and license tax he is now paying
will adequately take care of the re
tirement of these bonds over ten or
| fifteen year period.
81 am a conservative and have al
ways been very reluctant to pledge
the credit of the State in borrowing
money for any purpose. But when the
very life of the State and of rural
North Carolina is suffering extreme
ly due to the condition of our county
road system, the raising of $25 900
by a State bond issue and it's expendi-
ture for the relief of these people is
insignificant. I am unwilling to defer
for 10 or Is years, if 1 can possibly
II o1V ,ioIo CHI No 10 a
roads within the next two years.
cannot turn a deaf ear to the pleas of
the thousands who are asking and de-
handing better secondary roads, who
for years have been helping to pay
for the State roads but who so far
have not yet shared in any benefits
from these other experditur
Sena or IIalstead pointed r'lt that
he had no selfish M tiv, whatey er in
intro cling this Ill! IN that his h"me
and all his properties are already To-
CattI IN hard surf - :.'.'.Iys, But
t. ~ T.. was m otiva* "n:s - his
interest in the plight of the hundreds
of thousands of people living on the
as. 900 miles of county roads, of which
81, 600 r. lies are entirely unimproved.
FIe is convinced that the immediate
Improvement of the secondary roads
by means of a $25, 100000 bond issue
would not only save farmers and 9TH
ers Ewing on these roads hundreds of
thousands of dollars by reducing the
present wear and tear on their cars
and trucks, but that it would also
save the State many thousands of dol
lars a year in the operation of it's
fleet of more than 1000 school buses.